


Rise Of The Valkyrie

by Eryngiums



Series: The Valkyrian Saga [1]
Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe
Genre: Multi
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-06-19
Updated: 2019-06-19
Packaged: 2020-05-14 21:11:30
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 22
Words: 76,396
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19281262
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Eryngiums/pseuds/Eryngiums
Summary: Literally just an ease of access upload for some ancient, long-running giftfic.





	1. Einschränkung – The Lie You Live.

**JANUARY 1942**

**ERLANGEN, GERMANY: 14 MILES NORTH OF NUREMBERG.**

  


The clattering rattle of the door knocker alerted the assassin to the interlopers outside his house, his brow creasing at the sound.

“Heinz! Someone’s here! Want me to get the door?” a woman called from the kitchen.

“Not at all. It’s fine; I’ve got it.” he replied calmly, sliding a loaded pistol from a hidden drawer in the end table and making his way carefully into the hall. The visitors knocked again, more insistently this time.

“Herr Kruger?” a familiar voice prompted. He relaxed, stowing the gun.

“Herr Doctor Reinhardt. You gave me a bit of a fright. We weren’t expecting visitors.” he said apologetically, opening the door to see the doctor in full military uniform, glasses steaming up in the rain, flanked by two men he instantly recognised.

“Herr Schmidt. Herr Doctor Zola. To what do we owe the pleasure?” Heinz asked smoothly, stepping back and allowing the three officers access.

“Business, I’m afraid. The Allies are moving swiftly. Our schedule will have to change to accommodate it.” Schmidt explained, shaking off his umbrella carefully before entering the beautifully kept house.

“Are you here with orders for me, sir?” Heinz asked.

“Yes. But we should discuss this later. There are some wrinkles in our plans that still need to be ironed out.” the leader of HYDRA replied smartly, apparently not noticing the rather unimpressed look he received from Reinhardt.

“Woman of the house! We have guests.” Heinz called as he led said guests to the living room. A woman with short, dark hair and a multitude of freckles entered from the kitchen, eyes bright and expectant. She beamed when she noticed Reinhardt, laughing and throwing herself into his arms.

“Father! You should’ve called, I haven’t made enough stew for guests as well!” she said reproachfully, smoothing down the front of her apron bashfully when Schmidt and Zola removed their hats politely.

“Our apologies for the interruption, mein Fräulein. I simply stopped by to discuss something with your verlobter. We do not intend to stay long.” Schmidt said politely, smiling at her. Her face fell.

“Is it something to do with the war effort?” she asked worriedly, brow furrowing.

“ _Avalon._ ” Reinhardt said firmly, and she jumped. “It’s not your place to be asking such things.” he scolded.

Avalon’s frown only deepened, and she folded her arms across her chest – a sure sign that an argument was brewing. “It _is_ my place to be concerned for the welfare of my future husband!” she protested, throwing her father an uncharacteristically sharp glare.

Reinhardt sighed deeply. “You sound like your mother. You’re just like her, only twice as stubborn. Women shouldn’t think so morbidly!” he said sternly.

“There is no need for you to worry, Fräulein. I only intend to borrow Herr Kruger for a while. I will return him to you in due course, in the exact same pristine condition you have delivered him. I promise.” Schmidt vowed, amused by her reaction. Avalon deflated, satisfied.

“Of course. I meant no disrespect, Herr Schmidt. I know you’ve done a lot for my family. If you’ll excuse me, I have a stew cooking. It was nice to see you again, gentlemen. There’s no need for you to be strangers; perhaps my father could bring you over for dinner another time?” she suggested.

“Ah, a most tempting offer! I’d be honoured to spend an evening in such enchanting company. Goodnight, Fräulein.” Schmidt said warmly, waiting until she’d left the room to turn to Reinhardt, an eyebrow raised.

“Fascinating. The little English spy who gave us so much trouble and raised such hell in the Hades facility, acting like a proper German woman and truly believing you are her father. You’ve done an excellent job, Doctor.” he complimented.

Reinhardt shrugged. “It was surprisingly easy to tame the Walrider our soldiers feared so much. Even a Valkyrie could not resist the new techniques. Tried and tested on as powerful a Scharfrichter as her, we should be able to roll out the process en masse to all subjects of Projekt Vernichtung. It’s an exciting prospect, but she still has certain…off days. Hence my reluctance to allow this.” he said coolly.

“Allow what?” Kruger asked, confused.

“As I said before, our plans have been moved forward. One of these plans is possibly the most important of all. There have been rumours that a certain doctor has been working alongside the Allied scum with the intent to produce supersoldiers.” Schmidt began, holding up a photograph of a bespectacled man in tweed.

“Abraham Erskine. I know of him. Surely the chances of him getting the serum to work a second time are slim to none?” the assassin asked dubiously.

“Perhaps, but it is a risk we can no longer afford to take. And one the Fuhrer is not willing to consider. Your task is to eliminate that risk. You’re being sent into the heart of enemy territory with the goal of eradicating Abraham Erskine – and of recovering the serum he created. All other considerations are secondary.” Schmidt said simply.

Reinhardt bristled. “I already told you we cannot mobilise him! It’s far too soon for Avalon to be left on her own, especially for such an extended period of time! I have my own research to consider, I don’t have time to sit in for Herr Kruger while she adjusts to her new life!” he argued.

Zola twisted his hat nervously in his hands. “I am afraid I have to agree with Herr Doctor Reinhardt. She’s too unstable. We cannot afford a repeat of what happened to the first Hades. Especially not in a populated area.” he said anxiously.

“Then we will simply have to send Avalon with him. The intention is for her to revert to the Scharfrichter form when threatened, correct? I can think of no better way to field-test our latest weapon.” Schmidt snapped, losing his patience.

“I can look after her. Think of it as a way for me to prove I’m worthy of your trust, Doctor.” Heinz said adamantly.

Sensing defeat, Reinhardt sighed. “Very well. I will entrust Avalon to your care. Good luck.” he said sincerely.

  


**1 MONTH LATER**

**NEW YORK CITY, USA.**

  


Magnolia watched from her hidden seat in the rafters as a familiar redhead stepped onto the stage, resplendent in a floor-length black gown that made the blazing auburn of her hair burn ever brighter. The audience fell silent, gaze fixed as one on the violinist as she raised her bow and coaxed the first few notes from her instrument. The orchestra weaved in seamlessly, backing up but never overshadowing the soloist taking the concert hall by storm. The musical piece was short but sweet, and as soon as the final bars trailed off, there was uproar. The audience stood in unison, applauding heartily as the apple of their eye bowed and retreated behind the curtain. Maggie followed, sneaking in under the dark fabric and whistling loud enough to make her sister jump.

“Not bad, Red.” she commented.

“Was it really okay? I was so nervous…even now I can’t stop shaking! Out there, I could barely breathe! I don’t know if I can do this, Mags.” Amaryllis said quietly, shivering violently.

“Don’t let Rolier hear you say that! He pulled all sorts of strings to get you on this gig! If you give up now, you’ll never hear the end of it! Besides, I thought this was what you wanted?” Maggie said, bemused.

“To play as part of an _**orchestra!**_ To be a face in the crowd! Not to stand alone in front of hundreds of people just so some fat cat can line his pockets a little better! I don’t want to be a star, I just want to play!” Ama said, aggrieved. Mags opened her mouth to argue, but was interrupted by the raucous laughter of a fat, balding man in his early forties approaching them.

He parted the gathered press and staff like a steam ship parting the sea, complete with a tower of smoke above his head from the expensive cigar he had clamped firmly between his teeth.

“Excellent, excellent! I can see the headlines now: English Rose Shoots To Stardom In The Big Apple! You’re a hit! The crowd loves ya, and the critics can’t get enough of it! The press is goin’ wild, and they’re drawin’ up posters for your next performance already! I’m thinking we start off easy, do a couple sell-out shows, then make a grand tour of it and visit every state! An’ that’s just for starters! This is huge, sweetpea! You’re gonna hit the big time in no time, that’s a promise!” Rolier gushed, beaming at her. The smile slid off his face when he noticed the colour had drained from Ama’s cheeks and her entire body shaking. “Hey, are you alright?” he asked, frowning.

“I-I think so. I just…it was a little much for me. I just need to sit down for a moment. I’ll be alright.” Ama said breathlessly, sitting on a nearby crate and taking deep, measured breaths.

“Well, that’s understandable. It’s your first show, you’re bound to be nervous. But ya nailed it, sugar! They love ya! It’s one thing to have all these dames that can sing and dance, but to have a girl like you, who can make _real_ music? That’s talent. And that’s something nobody’s seen before. Your pretty face is doin’ ya favours, too. All these boys shippin’ out for war? They see your face and it reminds ‘em what they’re fighting for. And what they’re fighting against, y’know? You’re doin’ more for those boys bein’ here and showin’ off your gift than you could ever do on the front lines.” Rolier comforted, clicking his fingers at a nearby attendant, who rushed off and quickly came back carrying a glass of water.

“Those girls aren’t any less than me just because they have talents in different places.” Ama ground out, taking out her hairpin and allowing her hair to fall freely as she packed away her violin.

“Course not. But you’re somethin’ special, ya know that? Your mama knew it – that’s why she called ol’ Rolier, just ‘fore your daddy got sick. She knew I’d take good care of ya, make sure ya had a future. And it’s a bright one, honeysuckle. Real bright. This keeps up, you’re never gonna have to worry about money again. You shoot to stardom as another wartime sweetheart, and by the time all this blows over, you’ll be all set. Livin’ in a big mansion, married to a film star, little girls all over the world wantin’ to grow up and be the next you. You’ll have it made. Or you can disappear into the shadows like your sister and your mama did, and end up the exact same way.” Rolier cautioned.

“I’m standing right here, Uncle. ‘Sides, showbiz never appealed to me anyway. At least if it’s just Ama, she gets to stand on her own two feet. She can shine on her own, without me hogging the limelight. She’s too big to be getting shown up by her older sister.” Maggie said lightly, pinching the end of Rolier’s cigar out for the sheer hell of it and grinning when he cursed. “Hey, not in front of a lady.” she teased.

“You ain’t no lady.” Rolier muttered under his breath.

“Maybe not, but Ama sure as hell is. And if you’re not gonna respect her, we’re gonna have a _problem_ , you and me.” Mags warned, shooting the showman a rather distasteful look.

“Would you two stop? Every time you’re in the same room, you go for each other’s throats! I’m sick of it! Maggie, stop winding everybody up! And Mr Rolier, please don’t speak to my sister like that ever again! You so much as _breathe_ a word wrong in her direction and I’ll _**walk**_. I don’t care about your show business, it’s no skin off my nose if it all goes up in smoke! Now, if you’ll excuse me, I have things to attend to. Goodnight, Mr Rolier.” Ama interjected, quelling the argument. Rolier barrelled on, muttering to himself and trying to relight his cigar.

“So why are you _really_ here? Somehow, I don’t think you dragged yourself halfway across a continent to come and see your little sister’s show.” the redhead said suspiciously, eyeing Maggie warily.

“Don’t be such a cynic! I’ve been to every single one of your shows! ‘Course, I never paid for a ticket, but what good are the tools of espionage if you don’t use ‘em to have fun every once in a while?” Mags replied breezily, grinning at her.

“Magnolia. I’m serious. You’ve been acting off the past couple of weeks. Don’t think I haven’t noticed just because you haven’t been around as much! What’s going on?” Ama asked seriously.

Maggie sighed, running a hand through her hair. “I got orders. To protect a certain SSR asset. The Stark boy.” she began. Ama pulled a face. “Yeah, I know. And I wouldn’t say anything if it was just him but…I heard a rumour. Dr Erskine’s just come stateside. The Colonel let it slip during briefing. S’been a while since we saw him, so I thought we could maybe catch up to the good doctor. Have a little chat. Not that I wanna put pressure on you or anything. I know how much this means to you. It’s your dream, right?” she said sheepishly.

“Not really. When I said I wanted to get into music, this isn’t what I meant. This life…it’s not for me, Mags! This isn’t what I want to do with my time! I can’t do what all those other girls do! I can’t just sit back and smile while knowing that somewhere out there, people are getting blown to pieces left, right and centre! This isn’t **me** , Mags. I’m a medic, not a movie star! Say the word and I’ll walk. Right here and now, I’ll drop everything and go with you. I mean it.” Ama said adamantly.

“Ah, jeez. Did you have to make it so serious? What about Rolier?” Maggie wondered.

“Fuck Rolier! He just wants to profit off me as my manager! You heard what he said – got it right from the horse’s mouth! Now, are we gonna do some good or not?” Ama asked irritably.

Mags grinned, eyes lighting up. “That’s what I like to hear! When you get fired up, I know things are heading in the right direction! Let’s go raise some hell!” she said eagerly, half-dragging her sister out of the concert hall.

  


**HYDRA RESEARCH STATION HADES-II: UNDISCLOSED LOCATION, EASTERN EUROPE.**

 

“Far be it from me to question your wisdom, sir…but is sending out a Vollstrecker level Scharfrichter really necessary to complete this task? She barely graduated from the program, and we know her alter-ego is both violent and unstable. Our research on the Varianten and Valkyries is far from complete. It just seems wasteful to let such a promising - if _dangerous_ \- subject wander so close to enemy hands. What’ll we do if the Americans get hold of her?” one of the scientists asked, adjusting his glasses nervously as he challenged Schmidt.

The HYDRA officer seemed remarkably unperturbed by his protest, shooting him a small smile. “Then, my friend, we shall watch from the mountains as their nation **burns**. The Scharfrichters were built as the ultimate weapon – a true trump card that would change the tides of this war. They are equally at home behind enemy lines. She may not be the most powerful of her kind, but she will be an excellent candidate to test the limits of the program. And should she prove successful, we will finally be ready to unleash our ultimate weapon.” he said happily, turning to the enormous armoured doors behind him. Something slammed into them from the other side.

“Number Seven doesn’t seem to be reacting well to One-Four-Seven-Two’s absence. With the recent unforeseen loss of Two-Zero-Four-Nine, we’re down to two functional Scharfrichters – _one_ if this all goes wrong.” the scientist pointed out.

“Ah, yes. _**Mordred.**_ What a waste. He held such talent, such promise. Reinhardt simply overdid it, that’s all. A mistake like that will not be repeated. Certainly not with Avalon. Herr Doctor Reinhardt and I trained her _personally._ She will remain loyal, no matter what she may come across. Keep me posted on any changes in Number Seven’s behaviour or attitude. Was there anything else?” Schmidt asked, businesslike as always.

“Just the one thing, sir; a poster one of our returning agents brought over from the United States. It seemed inconsequential at first, until the agent mentioned a subject brought back by one of Herr Doctor Reinhardt’s Gestapo checkpoints early last year. Ivy Meredith Faulkner, a spy from the British Secret Service. She had a short stay with us, until she died after deliberately biting into an electrical cable during an electrotherapy session. The name of the woman on the poster is Amaryllis Faulkner, also of Falchurch. The same surname, same place of origin…it is possible it’s just a coincidence, but with a potential link to the Valkyries at stake, we thought we should bring the matter to your attention. We did some research – it appears there was another child, a sister. However, all mention of her ceases after 1935. No marriage announcements, no obituaries. Magnolia Faulkner simply disappears.” the scientist explained, handing him the poster.

“Hm. So either she is missing but not presumed dead…or she followed in her mother’s footsteps and became a spy. The Secret Service has more than one way of erasing someone’s existence. The remaining shell, barely a human being, becomes free of all ties or proof and is what they refer to as a Deadman. This woman may well be one of these so-called Deadmen, like dear Avalon. Continue your research. I will look into this matter personally. I have some experience with hunting down shadows. And I will not be deterred from the path of the Valkyrie now…not when I already have one of them at my command and the source of her power at my disposal. We begin testing on the Tesseract tomorrow morning, gentlemen. I want you all prepared as we take a leap of faith into the unknown.” Schmidt called, lip quirking as he examined the painted image of the young woman on the poster.


	2. Peanuts And Promises.

“I love you, Howard!” a woman screamed from the crowd as Howard Stark took the stage to cheers and whooping from the audience. He smirked at the assembly, indicating the beautiful vehicle behind him.

“Ladies and gentlemen. What if I told you that in just a few short years, your automobile won’t even have to touch the ground at all?” he began, to admiring gasps from the audience. His assistants removed the car’s wheels, leaving it standing on four odd projections. “With Stark Gravitic Reversion Technology, you’ll be able to do just that.” he announced, fiddling with a control panel. The engines clattered and hummed to life, slowly lifting the car a foot or so off the stage. The crowd watched in amazed silence, only to cry out when one of the engines blew and the car landed heavily on the stage, smoking and sparking.

“I did say a few years didn’t I?” Stark said feebly, as the audience applauded anyway.

“Typical Howard, always biting off more than he can chew!” Maggie said with a sigh, groaning when she saw the damage his demonstration had done to both the stage and the vehicle itself.

“Oh, dear. He’s quite gifted, but if he focused a little more on his work and a little less on women, he might actually get some of these crazy ideas of his to _work._ ” Ama huffed.

“Uahaha! You’re asking the impossible! C’mon Red, let’s go find something fun to do while Howard and Mr Jarvis clean up the mess!” Mags said eagerly, the two of them setting off to explore the exhibition.

Ama regarded the Synthetic Man exhibit with undue suspicion. “D’you think _we’ll_ ever have those? Automated men, I mean?” she wondered.

“What, you mean like a robot? Nah. What’s it supposed to do, cook and clean up after us? That’s what _**husbands**_ are for!” Mags said easily.

“I think you might have that slightly backward…” Ama muttered under her breath, and Maggie bristled.

“You’re the one being backwards! I’m not throwing my life away to be some man’s caretaker! A relationship is supposed to be equal, Red! That means both parties chip in for everything!” the blonde said stubbornly.

“Yeah, and how many men do you suppose there are who think the same way as you? This is why you don’t have boyfriend.” Ama said wearily.

“You mean that and the fact that according the government, I don’t actually exist? Kinda puts a damper on things. What about you, what’s your excuse?” Maggie asked dubiously.

“I don’t _**need**_ an excuse! I’m just not interested in anyone right now!” the redhead puffed, cheeks reddening.

“Oh, really? We’ll have to find you someone that tickles your fancy. Ooh, how about that lad there? He’s a good looking guy, army boy by the looks of things. You ought to get in there, could be his last night on Earth.” Mags enthused, indicating the young man in question.

“I don’t know about this, Maggie. I mean, it looks like there’s someone already with him.” Ama said nervously.

“Yeah, but she’s _leaving._ And neither of them look happy. Whoops, clumsy me!” Mags said quickly, shoving her sister into the stranger as she passed and making a swift exit into the Recruitment Office to avoid Ama’s wrath.

  


“Whoa, hey there! Are you alright?” the stranger asked worriedly, helping the crimson-faced violinist stand straight.

“Ye-yes! I’m very sorry! I must’ve…must’ve gotten jostled by the crowd.” Ama squeaked, looking up at the soldier for the first time. She froze, as did he.

“Oh. _Wow._ You, uh…you’re not from around here, huh?” he asked conversationally, cheeks tinged pink.

“N-no. I’m…I’m from England, originally. I’m here with my sister on holiday.” Ama stuttered. The soldier raised an eyebrow.

“Sister, eh? That the smug little buttercup over there that shoved you into me?” he asked, indicating the blonde trying and failing to blend in with the crowd. The redhead nodded. “Well, it’s pretty unorthodox, but I can’t exactly complain. Not every day you have a beautiful woman practically land in your lap.” he said with a smile. Ama’s face heated up again and she looked away.

“Oh, was I being too forward? You probably already have someone, right?” he said sheepishly.

“No. But you do, right? The woman who was with your earlier.” she mumbled, not meeting his eyes.

“Her? I _thought_ I was with her, but then she and her pal decided they wanted to ditch my buddy! I wasn’t gonna go along with that, so she stalked off. She’s no girl of mine.” he huffed, clearly agitated.

“Still…I haven’t seen Steve in a while. I thought I saw him coming this way, but by the time I got over here, he was gone. I’m a little worried about him.” he admitted.

“Then we should look for him together. Two sets of eyes are better than one.” Ama said wisely.

“That’s true. Thanks. I’m James, by the way. James Barnes. You can call me Bucky.” the soldier said warmly, smiling at her again.

“I’m Ama Faulkner. It’s nice to meet you, Bucky.” she said shyly.

“ _Ama._ That’s gotta be short for something, right? Amabel? Amadeus?” he asked, curious.

She flushed again, frowning. “ _Amaryllis._ My mother had a passion for floristry.” she explained.

“It’s a beautiful name. Doesn’t seem like you’re a fan, though.” Bucky said with a grin, noting the way her face scrunched up at his response. “It sounds kinda familiar, though. Amaryllis Faulkner…wait a minute! Isn’t that the name of the violinist that disappeared a month ago?! You’re her?!” he hissed.

Ama hauled him into the Recruitment Office, away from the crowd. “ _ **Shh!**_ Keep your voice down! There’s a _reason_ I ran away instead of announcing to the world I was leaving!” she whispered.

“Half of New York State is out looking for you! Are you sure you’re okay? You’re not being coerced or kidnapped or anything, are you?” he asked worriedly.

“No, I’m fine. Really, I am. But I have to keep a low profile. Anton Rolier and his men are still looking for me. If they find me, they’ll drag me back into show business. That’s not what I wanted, so I left.” Ama explained quickly.

Bucky pondered her words for a moment, before nodding. “Alright. I’ll help you keep your head down. How about being my girl for the evening?” he suggested.

“…Does it have to just be for the evening?” she mumbled, eyes fixed on the floor.

“I’m shipping out for England first thing tomorrow morning. But I’m not stupid enough to let an opportunity to know a girl like you pass me by. We’ll work out the details later. For now, how ‘bout I win you one of those stuffed animals from the fair games?” he offered, taking her by the hand and leading her back into the crowds.

  


Steve paused when he noticed the woman in front of him admiring an image of the latest model of a military plane. She seemed deeply engrossed in the picture, as though trying to memorise everything from the plane itself to the number of clouds in the sky. Curious, he drew closer.

“The Curtiss P-40 Warhawk. Magnificent, isn’t she? ‘Course, she’s got jack diddly on the old Spitfires, but she’s a damn fine machine in her own right.” Maggie said promptly, making him jump.

“You-you know planes?” he asked, surprised. She turned to smile at him.

“Of course! I was raised in a small village by the sea, on the edge of an airfield. There were always flying machines coming and going at all hours of the day and night. I always wanted to fly. To watch the world fall away from the cockpit of my very own aircraft. But it’s not so easy when the boys won’t share with you.” she said lightly.

“They should’ve been happy to have you. If you have the skills, it shouldn’t matter what you are. And war’s a pretty dumb time to start getting picky.” Steve said mildly, feeling slightly more confident. “Want one?” he asked awkwardly, offering her a bag of peanuts. She took one and smiled again.

“Thank you. So what’s brought you to the Recruitment Office?” she asked, giving him an appraising look. He shuffled from foot to foot, looking slightly anxious.

“Gonna sign up.” he said finally, looking back at the picture.

“Oh, really? That’s brave of you.” Mags said simply, grinning at him when he stared. “What? Did you think I was going to tell you not to do it? It’s not my place to butt into people’s lives and start telling them what to do. If you want to sign up, then go for it. You may not be as physically imposing as some of the guys I’ve seen, but you’ve got heart. That’s more than anyone can ask for.” she said happily.

“So _**this**_ is where you’ve been hiding!”

The irate call startled both of them, and they turned to see a familiar soldier storming towards them accompanied by a bashful redhead who was carrying a large toy bear.

“Bucky…” Steve said quietly.

“You’re really gonna do this again?” Bucky asked disapprovingly.

“Well, it’s a fair. I’m gonna try my luck.” Steve said with a shrug.

“As who? Steve from Ohio? They’ll catch you, or worse, they’ll actually _take_ you. This isn’t a back alley, Steve. It’s war.” Barnes said sternly.

“I **know** it’s war. What do you want me to do, collect scrap metal in my little red wagon? I’m not gonna sit in a factory, Bucky! _Bucky!_ Come on, there are men laying down their lives. I got no right to do any less than them. _That’s_ what you don’t understand. This isn’t about me.” Steve soothed.

“Right. ‘Cause you got nothing to prove.” Bucky challenged. There was an uncomfortable silence, and the soldier sighed. “Don’t do anything stupid until I get back.” he said, exasperated.

“How can I? You’re taking all the stupid with you.” Steve said flatly.

“You’re a punk.” Bucky said with a snort, pulling him into a hug.

“Jerk. Be careful. And don’t win the war until I get there!” Steve called after him. Barnes saluted, before turning to Ama.

“Well, this is it, doll. I had a great time tonight. Keep an eye out for the mailman – and don’t wait up for me, Lis.” he said with a wink, kissing her on the cheek and grinning when she blushed again.

“Come back safe.” she said softly, watching until he was out of sight.

“Ohh, so you did have a good time. Looks like you won your little soldier boy over right quick. Nice bear.” Mags teased.

“Jealousy’s an ugly trait. I take it you’re Steve?” Ama asked, giving the skinny young man a visual once-over.

“Yes ma’am. Just about to sign up.” Steve said stubbornly.

“And I’m going with him. C’mon Steve, it’ll close by the time you’re seen at this rate.” Mags said hastily, leading him away before the medic could argue.

  


The examination room was pale, sparse and unwelcoming, but Steve paid little heed as he was examined. Maggie watched the proceedings from afar, jumping when someone tapped her on the shoulder. She turned to see a familiar kind face and immediately pulled the newcomer into a hug.

“Dr Erskine! I knew you were around here somewhere, I just didn’t know where!” she said brightly, laughing. Erskine regarded her with soft eyes which quickly turned mournful at her cheer.

“Are you well, Magnolia?” he asked gently.

“I am, as is my sister. We’re not doing too bad for ourselves, all things considered.” she said breezily. He gave a short sigh, wiping his glasses on his shirt.

“About the Bosphorus Expedition-”

“Don’t. I don’t want any more apologies. It wasn’t your fault. None of it was. I don’t blame you for what happened any more than I blame myself. At the end of the day, Doc, we _volunteered_. Don’t beat yourself up about it.” Maggie said with a shrug.

“You two are the last. Out of five hundred candidates, you’re the only ones who stayed true to yourselves. I am no expert, but I believe the reason behind it is that you are special.” Erskine said kindly. She gave a snort of disbelief.

“Your blood-work confirmed that there was something out of the ordinary about the two of you. I don’t know enough to say for certain what it is, or whether it is good or bad. But it saved your lives, and so I choose to believe it is good, hm? And that it spared you that terrible fate for a reason.” he said firmly.

Mags shook her head. “It’s your imagination. Ama and I just got lucky, that’s all.” she said idly.

“No. You are stronger than you were before, _better_ than you were before; but it is not my doing. I believe the serum had no effect on you because you already had some kind of inner power we do not understand yet. Perhaps it is as you say, that you and Amaryllis simply ‘got lucky’. But where then lies the difference between luck and fate? I believe, and have _**always**_ believed that the two of you were more than you appeared to be. You were meant for so much more than this. That’s why I entrusted the choice of the final subject to you. Because I trust your judgement. And I know that when the time is right, you will decide who becomes the foil to HYDRA’s Schmidt.” he said adamantly.

“You’re starting to sound just like him. Wasn’t he obsessed with superhumans too? You’re chasing a myth, Doc. Meanwhile back here on Earth, I think I’ve found something that might interest you.” Mags said slyly, ushering him over to the window where he could clearly see Steve sitting in the examination room.

“Ahh. I see. I heard him talking with his friend earlier. Perhaps I should have introduced myself then? No matter. Come, Agent Fairborn – time waits for no man!” Erskine said briskly, entering the examination room.

Steve frowned at the stranger, looking to Maggie for reassurance. She simply smiled and nodded at him. “I see the two of you have already met. I am Doctor Abraham Erskine. I represent the Strategic Scientific Reserve, and I have heard of you, Mr. Rogers. I obtained some medical records of interest this morning – five different attempts to enlist from one Steven Rogers, who is apparently from five different places at once. But it is not the medical forms that interest me; it is the five tries. Let me ask you a question, Mr. Rogers: Do you want to kill Nazis?” Erskine wondered, studying Steve carefully as Mags watched in silence.

“Is this a test?” Steve asked apprehensively.

“Yes.” Erskine replied curtly.

“I don’t wanna kill _anyone_. I don’t like bullies; I don’t care where they’re from.” he said adamantly.

“Well. There are already so many big men fighting this war. Maybe what we need now is a little guy. I can offer you a chance. Only a chance.” The doctor said curiously.

“I’ll take it.” he said quickly.

“Good. So where is the little guy from? _Actually._ ” Erskine asked.

“Brooklyn.” Steve replied with a small smile. The doctor stamped his file and handed it back to him.

“Congratulations, soldier.” He said mildly. “Oh, and Magnolia, dear? I think you’ve made an _**excellent**_ choice.” The doctor added as he left.

“Choice? You volunteered me for this?” he asked incredulously.

“Something like that. Let’s just say the good doctor and I have history. He’s a good man who’s been through a lot. Things have been backfiring around him all over the place and it’s getting to him. This is his last hurrah. One chance – one _**last**_ chance – to see if he can get his final project to work. I had the honour of being the person to choose the subject.” Mags said seriously.

“And you chose… _me?_ Why?” he asked, shocked.

She tilted her head. “I don’t quite know myself. There’s something about you…something _different_. The way you spoke earlier, the way you stuck to your convictions…it reminded me of someone I knew a long time ago. Back before the world ended. God, it feels like a thousand years ago, now. We were so idealistic, so _**dumb**_.” she murmured, slipping an old, weathered photograph from inside her jacket. He instantly recognised the younger Magnolia and Amaryllis, but frowned when he noticed the woman between them and the young lad she had in a headlock.

“Who are they?” Steve asked, regretting it immediately when her face fell.

“That’s Eryn Foley-Quirke and her younger brother, Roman. We grew up together, the four of us. We thought nothing could take us down, that we were invincible as long as we stayed together. But HYDRA put paid to that. They’re a Nazi science cult, and they got wind that Eryn’s dad was investigating them. He was a journalist, you see. He was gonna expose their crimes to the world…but HYDRA got there first. In ‘39 the Foley-Quirkes - sans Eryn who stayed behind for training - went to visit relatives in Germany. It was the last mistake Hadrian ever made. On the fifth of September, a firebomb destroyed the house in Kyritz they were staying in. None of them made it out alive. Eryn never recovered. She was given leave of absence and went to visit her maternal grandfather in Nuremberg. Ethelbert Quirke was a genius, but a little sporadic. I think he appreciated having the company. But in the spring of 1940, less than a month after Eryn began taking on missions again, she and her grandfather disappeared. She promised that if things ever went wrong that she would come home.” Mags said bitterly.

“But she never did.” he finished.

“No. I don’t even know if she’s still alive, and if she is she won’t be the same. Three **years** behind enemy lines…that’d be enough to break even the strongest person. And what if she is alive? Hadrian, Nyssa, Roman…they’re all gone. She lost everything that day. It’d be selfish to want her back.” Maggie said tearfully.

“She didn’t lose everything. She still has you and Ama, right? That still counts. If she’s out there, she’ll come home eventually. Because you’re here, and that’s what matters.” Steve said boldly.

Mags gave a wet laugh. “You are sweet. More than someone like me deserves. You’d better get home, you’ve got a big day tomorrow. Dr Erskine and I will be taking you to Camp Lehigh to start your training. It was wonderful to meet you, Steven. I mean that.” she said sincerely, kissing him on the cheek before she disappeared once more into the crowd.


	3. Entbehrung

“Recruits! Attention!” the sharp female voice called out, and all the soldiers stood a little straighter, a little taller. A woman with shoulder-length, curly dark hair, dark eyes and deep red lipstick marched towards them, flanked by a blonde and redhead Steve immediately recognised. “Gentlemen, I’m Agent Carter. On my left is Agent Faulkner, and on my right is Agent Fairborn. We supervise all operations for this division.” The dark haired woman explained.

“What’s with the accent, Queen Victoria? Thought I was signin’ up for the _US_ Army.” One recruit sneered.

“What’s your name, soldier?” Carter asked.

“Gilmore Hodge, yer majesty.” He mocked.

“Step forward, Hodge. Put your right foot forward.” She ordered. He did so, grinning.

“We gonna wrassle? Cause I got a few moves I know ya’ll _like_.” He said with a wink. Carter responded by punching him square in the face, knocking him on his backside. Faulkner and Fairborn applauded.

“Excellent shot as always, Peg. Listen here, you little sewer rat! Maybe no one’s told you yet, but we’ve been in this war longer than your sorry asses, so you **will** take orders from us and you **will** treat us with a modicum of respect. Or else _**I**_ will make your lives a living nightmare. We singin’ off the same hymn sheet here?” Mags asked sweetly, her saccharine tone lost somewhat in the threatening aura she gave off. Hodge nodded quickly.

“AGENT CARTER!” a gruff voice barked as the Colonel approached.

“Colonel Phillips.” Peggy greeted.

“I can see that you are breaking in the candidates, that’s good. Get your ass up outta that dirt and stand in that line at attention until somebody comes and tells you what to do.” He growled at Hodge, who scrambled to obey his orders.

The Colonel cast an appraising eye over the assembled men, gaze lingering slightly on Rogers. “General Patton has said that wars are fought with weapons, but they are won by men. We are going to win this war because we have the best…men. And because they are gonna get better. Much better. The Strategic Scientific Reserve is an Allied effort made up of the best minds in the free world. Our goal is to create the best army in history. Every army starts with one man, and at the end of this week, we will choose that man. He will be the first in a new breed of supersoldier. And they will personally escort Adolf Hitler to the gates of Hell.” he said firmly. “First test is simple enough – the first man to bring me the Camp Lehigh flag gets to ride to the barracks in the ladies’ car.” He ordered.

Immediately, the soldiers sprang into action, save for Steve, who merely watched as the others tried and failed repeatedly to scale the flagpole.

“Nobody’s got close to that flag in 17 years.” Ama said idly.

“Who knows? Maybe this time, someone’ll surprise us.” Maggie said thoughtfully, watching attentively as Steve simply walked to the flagpole and removed the pins holding it upright. The pole collapsed, and he handed Phillips the flag before jumping into the back of the car with Faulkner, Fairborn and Carter. Mags laughed.

“Wooow! Not bad, Rogers. Oh boy, you should see the look on your squad-mates faces!” she cackled as the car pulled away, leaving the rest of the platoon in the dust.

  


Kruger exited the bathroom with a sigh, towelling his hair and pausing when he noticed Avalon sitting on the end of the bed, staring into space. “Avalon?” he called uncertainly. She did not react, making no indication of any sort that she’d even heard him. He rested a hand on her shoulder, and she slowly turned to look at him before looking away again, still wearing the same worryingly vacant expression.

“I had…a _dream._ ”

Avalon’s voice was crackly and hoarse, almost as though she’d forgotten how to speak.

“What did you dream about?” he asked, concerned.

“Everything. And nothing.” she said quietly, continuing to stare blindly at the wall.

“I wake up sometimes feeling like I’m not real. Like I’m living in a dream, and my life – my _**real**_ life – exists somewhere outside of all this. It’s disorienting, waking up next to you.” she admitted, lower lip trembling.

Heinz pulled her into a hug, kissing her on the forehead. “Shh. It’s okay. This will pass. It’s common for people with trauma-inflicted amnesia to wake up feeling confused or lost. Your father explained this to you, do you remember? It could take several years for you to start feeling normal again. I know it’s hard, but you need to be patient with yourself. You suffered a serious brain injury during the accident – it was touch and go for a few days. We almost lost you. But you shouldn’t push yourself like this. Just give it time, and everything will work itself out.” he comforted.

“What are we even doing here, Heinz? Hiding out in an American hotel isn’t exactly how I pictured spending a holiday.” Avalon muttered.

“Our orders are clear enough. We have to execute the traitor Abraham Erskine, and steal some of the serum he perfected. With that, we can create a new army of supersoldiers to finish what Schmidt started. The Allies won’t stand a chance.” he explained.

“And what if we fail? What then? We’re in the heart of enemy territory, surrounded by foes on all sides. What happens if Erskine finishes his supersoldiers first?” she asked anxiously.

“That won’t happen. We were sent here to make sure it doesn’t. Don’t lose sight of what that mark on your back means. You were chosen, granted power by the heavens!” he bolstered.

“ **Cursed** , more like. Born an abomination, with the freakish, unnatural ability to move things with my mind. I’m a mutated monster.” she said dully, clenching her fists.

“You’re a child of the Gods, Avalon! Out of all the people on this Earth, they chose you alone to wield these incredible powers! You’re not like those other uncontrollable freaks. You were born of the Valkyrie blood to be a commander of legions!” he protested.

“I don’t want any of that! I never asked for any of this rubbish!” she huffed.

“Then what is it you want?” he asked exasperatedly.

She blushed and pulled away, suddenly becoming very interested in her shoes.

“To be here with you. That’s all I ever wanted.” she mumbled, flustered.

Kruger laughed. “See? Underneath that tough, cold exterior, you’re still a woman at heart. Once this mission is over, I’ll request some leave. Possibly a month or two, so we can finally get married and maybe…start building up our family a little.” he suggested. She blushed again and nodded mutely.

“We’ve got a big day coming up. We should get some rest.” he added, kissing her on the cheek.

  


“And you’re absolutely, _**one hundred percent certain**_ that Rogers is the right choice for the serum?” Phillips asked dubiously, raising an eyebrow at Magnolia.

“We wouldn’t be having this conversation if I wasn’t. Doctor Erskine gave me the honour of being the one to choose the subject, and I’ve chosen Steven Rogers. _He_ doesn’t doubt my selection and I don’t see why you should either. Contrary to popular belief, Colonel, I do know what I’m doing. And I would appreciate it if you stopped hounding me about it while we’re in the middle of training!” Mags retorted, indicating the soldiers exercising in the yard.

“Are you _sure_ he’s the right choice? Not to question your faith, or the dear doctor’s, but poor Steven looks about ready to _**keel over**_.” Ama said anxiously.

“He does look like a light breeze might knock him down, I grant you, but it’s not about what’s on the outside. The serum will fix all of that. It’s about what’s on the _inside_ , the stuff Operation Rebirth **doesn’t** touch. If it was up to you to pick out of this sorry lot who was going to be the first in our new line of supersoldiers, who would it be?” Maggie asked curiously.

“Does it matter? It’s not my place to choose. Doctor Erskine asked you to do it because you’ve got a knack for this sort of thing. Kind of like a sixth sense, only crap.” Ama said playfully.

“Careful! You’re not so big I can’t still beat you down!” Mags warned.

“You stick a needle in that kid’s arm and it’s gonna right through him. Look at that. He’s making me cry!” Phillips complained, watching with despair as Steve struggled to keep up with his companions.

“I am looking for qualities beyond the physical.” Erskine replied shortly.

“Throw me a bone. Hodge passed every test we gave him. He’s big he’s fast, he follows orders – he’s a soldier.” the Colonel argued.

“He’s a bully. He is not only unnecessarily mean at every given opportunity, he is also exceptionally cruel towards those he sees as beneath him. He even mistreated Agent Carter on his first day here!” Abraham pointed out.

“You don’t win wars with niceness, Doctor.” Phillips scoffed, taking a grenade from the back of a nearby truck and pulling the pin. “You win wars with guts. _**GRENADE!**_ ” he shouted, throwing the explosive into the assembled platoon.

The soldiers scattered, save for Steve, who immediately charged towards it, throwing himself over the grenade. **“GET AWAY! GET BACK!”** he yelled when Mags attempted to go to his aid.

Nothing happened.

“A…a dummy grenade?” Ama asked faintly, dizzy with relief.

“That was crazy. He just went for it. He didn’t even stop to think. He just did it, like it was _instinct_.” Mags admired, awed.

Steve sat up. “Is this a test?” he asked feebly.

“Yeah. And you’re the only one who passed. That was incredible.” Maggie said warmly, smiling at him. Rogers went beet red and stood, dusting himself off clumsily.

“Uh, thanks.” he mumbled, embarrassed.

“He’s still skinny.” Phillips groused in response to Erskine’s satisfied look.

Ama frowned deeply as Mags helped Steve to his feet, smiling the whole time. “I see. So that’s how it is.” she mused, clearing her throat loudly and feeling slightly guilty when they both jumped. “Maggie, I need to talk to you for a minute. Somewhere else.” she said firmly.

“Sure thing, Red. I’ll see you later, Steve!” Maggie said brightly, following her sister into the treeline. The medic remained silent until they reached a familiar copper beech with several large, wide branches – perfect for sitting on. They began to scale the trunk without a word, and it wasn’t until they’d both settled on a particularly comfortable branch that Ama rounded on her.

“What are you doing?” she asked sharply, surprising Maggie.

“How do you mean? I haven’t done anything yet.” the blonde said flatly.

Ama shook her head. “How stupid do you think I am, Mags? We’re not five years old any more! I know you like him. It’s obvious, and it’s also obvious that he likes you back. So I’ll ask again; what the hell are you playing at?!” she demanded.

“Oh, like you’re so slick? Acting like it doesn’t mean anything when you write to Bucky every other day! Why’s it any different for me?” Maggie snapped.

“You know damn well why! Bucky’s out of my reach – if I…if it happens to me, he’s safe! I can’t hurt him from here! But Steve…Mags, we don’t even know if he’ll survive the procedure! And if he does, what if he changes too?! We’ll have to put him down, just like all the others! Can you really do that again? Could you really do that to _Steve?_ Worse yet, what if **you** turn? Surviving this long doesn’t mean anything – it just means we’ve been lucky so far. What if you get unlucky and become something terrible, like they did? Steve would be first in the firing line!” Ama said unhappily.

“It’s just a bit of fun, Red. Isn’t it the same with you and Sergeant Barnes? Or are you taking it out on me because you feel something more for him and don’t know how to deal with it? What are you gonna do once the war’s over, eh? What are you gonna tell him when he comes home? We can’t live normal lives, Ama! People like us don’t get that luxury. Don’t take all your misplaced guilt out on me!” Maggie countered.

“It’s not misplaced! Either way, I know someday I’m going to have to break his heart…but I don’t know if I can do that either.” the medic said sadly.

“You don’t have a choice. Someday, somehow, he’ll find out the truth. Then what’re you gonna do? We _**chose**_ this, Ama; we became monsters to fight an even bigger threat, something far more ruthless and powerful than we could ever hope to be! it’s a little late for us to try backing out now.” Mags reminded her.

“Don’t try to pull the wool over my eyes, Magnolia Rhonwen! You can lie to yourself all you want, but don’t you **ever** try to lie to me! You’re not very good at it. I know how you’re feeling. Every time you look at Steve, I can see it in your eyes. This goes a lot deeper than ‘just a bit of fun’, doesn’t it? Now you’re trying to turn my own arguments back on me because you don’t want to consider your own feelings and learn how to deal with them!” Ama snarled.

Maggie balked, her confidence dissipating like smoke in a hurricane. “…It’s not _**fair.**_ ” she said finally, so softly that the redhead almost missed it.

Ama sighed deeply, shuffling over to sit closer to her twin. “I know that. Becoming monsters was one thing, but nobody ever told us we’d be walking on eggshells for the rest of our lives. I’d better get back to medical before I’m missed. Are you gonna be okay?” she asked gently. Mags nodded mutely and the medic leapt down from the branch, landing neatly on her feet.

“I’m sorry, Maggie.” the redhead said quietly, disappearing off into the lengthening shadows of the woods as the sun began to set in the distance.

“Moron.” Mags muttered under her breath, lying back against the tree’s trunk. “Don’t apologise when _you’re_ going through the exact same thing.”

  


She was woken sometime later by the sound of someone calling her name. She almost fell out of the tree when she recognised the voice. “Steve?” she called, jumping out of the tree and startling him.

“Hey! There you are, I was getting worried. You were gone for three hours, and it’s getting dark out. I didn’t like the idea of you walking back to the barracks by yourself. It’s kind of a long way, y’know?” he said sheepishly, leading the way out of the woods.

“Oh? It’s surprisingly empty here.” Mags said thoughtfully, noting the way most of the barracks were totally devoid of life.

“Yeah, I got special dispensation. The rest of the guys’re sleeping somewhere else because the doctor doesn’t want anything disturbing me the night before the procedure.” he explained, leading her inside.

“Actually…I wanted to talk to you about that…” she began, only to pause when she noticed Erskine standing outside the door of the nearest room.

“Ah, there you are! I brought a little something to celebrate, ja?” Abraham said easily, indicating a bottle of schnapps.

“Sounds great, come on in.” Steve greeted, leading them to his bunk. Magnolia and Erskine sat on the opposite bed, a respectful distance between them.

“Can I ask you a question? Why me?” Steve probed.

“I suppose that is the only question which matters. This is from Augsburg, my city. So many people forget that the first country the Nazis invaded was their own. After the last war, my people struggled. They felt weak, small. And then Hitler comes along, with the marching and the big show and the flags. He hears of me and my work, and he finds me. He says “You. You will make us strong”. I am not interested, so he sends the head of HYDRA, his research division, a brilliant scientist by the name of Johann Schmidt. Now, Schmidt is a member of the inner circle and he is ambitious. He and Hitler share a passion for occult power and Teutonic myth. Hitler uses his fantasies to inspire his followers, but for Schmidt it is not fantasy. It is real. He has become convinced that there is a great power hidden in the Earth, left here by the Gods, waiting to be seized by a superior man. So when he hears about my formula and what it can do, he cannot resist. Schmidt must become that superior man.” Erskine said resentfully.

“Did it make him stronger?” Rogers wondered.

“Ja. But there were…other effects. The serum was not ready. But more important – the man. The serum amplifies everything that is inside, so good becomes great…bad becomes _worse_. This is why you were chosen. Because a strong man who has known power all his life may lose respect for that power. But a weak man knows the value of strength. And…knows compassion.” Abraham elaborated.

“Thanks. I think.” Steve said with a small smile, passing him three glasses off the night stand. The doctor filled them, handing one each to Steve and Magnolia.

“Whatever happens tomorrow, you must promise me one thing: that you will stay who you are. Not a perfect soldier, but a _**good man.**_ ” Erskine said sincerely, indicating Steve’s heart.

Rogers raised his glass. “To the little guys.” he proclaimed. They all clinked their glasses together.

“No, no wait! What I am doing?! You have procedure tomorrow, no fluids!” Erskine squawked, quickly rescuing the glass from Steve and pouring the schnapps into his own.

“Oh. Alright, we’ll drink it after.” Steve said mildly.

“No, _**I**_ don’t have procedure tomorrow. Drink it after? Drink it now.” Abraham said stubbornly, draining his glass. Mags gave a snort of laughter and drank her own.

“Well, this has been a delightful evening, but I am afraid I need to get some rest. You two should as well! Big day tomorrow!” the doctor cautioned, taking the schnapps with him as he left the room.

Maggie shook her head. “Well, that was nice of him. Sort of. Truth be told, I think he _needed_ a drink to steady his nerves. Schmidt’s been weighing on his mind a lot lately. And you’re the last shot we have at this, so if you can’t make it work, it’s over. Back to the drawing board again.” she said with a sigh.

“How many times has it failed before?” Steve asked, frowning.

“More than a few. It’s not his fault. I know Abraham blames himself. But he couldn’t have known what would happen.” she said morosely.

“Is that what you wanted to talk to me about? You mentioned the procedure.” he said warily.

“Yes. I just…wanted you to know the risks. Because I think, after everything you’ve been through, you deserve to know the truth. Should this succeed tomorrow, you won’t be the only supersoldier. Just the only _successful_ one. There was an attempt, nearly three years ago now, to create an army of supersoldiers out of special agents working for the Secret Service. But it failed. Unbeknownst to us, a rogue scientist working with HYDRA poisoned the batches of serum with something. We still don’t know what she put in there. Whatever it was took a while to get a hold of you, but once it did, you started losing control. The other subjects became violent, aggressive. Dangerous. They started turning on each other at the slightest provocation, ripping each other apart. Out of five hundred candidates, only Ama and I made it through. We had no choice but to hunt down the others and put them out of their misery before they started attacking innocent people. Most of them begged for death. I don’t know why Ama and I weren’t affected. Neither the serum nor the poison made any difference. But we were the only ones who could clean up the mess.” Mags said tremulously.

“Why? Why you two?” Steve asked, horrified.

She laughed at that. “I was trained in a particular manner. At the age of fifteen, I was selected to join the Secret Service Special Forces. My job was to eliminate potential hostiles before they became a threat. Sometimes in ways that involved hurting people who weren’t directly involved. It was awful, and I did horrible things in the name of protecting people. But it made me stronger. And it helped me realise what was most important. Steve, there’s no guarantee that the same won’t happen to you. That you won’t lose yourself and become something terrible, maybe even worse than Schmidt. That’s what the doctor’s afraid of, and that’s what **I’m** afraid of too. I don’t want to lose you.” she said shakily.

“Maggie…” he said softly, taking her hand. “I’m not going anywhere. No matter what happens, I’ll still be me. And if it does go wrong…if I do turn out to be a monster…I know I can trust you to put me down if you need to.” he said gently.

“That’s the thing, I don’t know if I can trust myself. Steve…” she trailed off, eyes filling with tears.

He responded by pulling her into a tight hug, skinny arms holding her as close as possible to his scrawny form. “Shh, shh. You’re gonna be okay. It doesn’t matter what happens tomorrow, you’re gonna be just fine. You chose _me_ , right? Because you believe in me.” he said seriously.

“With all my heart.” she said honestly, wiping her eyes.

“Then it’ll be fine. Besides, I’d never forgive myself if I disappointed a girl like you. You put your faith in me; now it’s my turn to show you I’m worth it.” he said warmly. She nodded, finally looking him in the eye. “C’mon, don’t cry. Stiff upper lip and all that, right?” he said with a smile.

She gave a wet laugh, wiping her eyes again on her sleeve. “You’re right. I’m just being stupid.” she said quietly.

“No you’re not. You’re not being stupid. If it’s important enough to upset you this much, it could _never_ be stupid.” he said adamantly. She stared at him, leaning in closer.

_**You don’t have a choice.** _

She looked away again, glaring at the floor. “Look, I’d better get going. You need to get some rest and I don’t want the doctor or Ama coming in here and dragging me out by my hair. I’ll see you in the morning.” she said sullenly, standing and heading for the door.

“Maggie, wait.” Steve said quickly, catching her by the wrist.

She crushed down the instinctual urge to throw him over her shoulder, gritting her teeth and turning to face him. “What is it?” she ground out, pausing when he drew close enough to her that she could feel his breath on her lips. “What are you doing?” she asked.

“It’s called confessing. You said I deserved to know the truth – but you do too. I’ve always liked you, Mags. Ever since I first saw you at the fair. The last few weeks have been pretty tough, but seeing you every day helped me get through it. I don’t think I coulda done it without you. I mean that. I just wanted you to know, in case things don’t-”

His confession fell short when she pulled him into a shy kiss, looking away the second they broke apart so he couldn’t see her blush.

“Oh, wow.” he said dazedly.

“That’s for saving me from the grenade. Goodnight Steve.” she said quickly, making a swift exit and leaving him to wonder what exactly just happened.


	4. Scharfrichter

“I know this neighbourhood. I got beat up in that alley. And that parking lot. And behind that diner.” Steve listed off as they drove past streets leading to the secret workshop.

“Well, once this experiment works out – which it will do, I have full faith in the good doctor, it’s just Stark I’m worried about – _**you’ll**_ be the one doing the beating up.” Ama said idly.

“No, I won’t. I don’t want to beat people up, not unless they’re doing something bad and need to be stopped.” he said simply.

“The more he talks, the more it convinces me you made the right decision.” The redhead grumbled to her sister, who grinned.

The car pulled in at a rather unassuming little antique shop, which they all filed into. “What are we doing here?” Steve asked apprehensively.

“Just trust us.” Maggie said with a smile. An old woman stepped out from the back of the shop when the bell on the door rang. She smiled at them.

“Wonderful weather we’re having this morning, isn’t it?” she asked kindly.

“Yes, but I always carry an umbrella.” Peggy replied, and the old woman stood aside and let them into the backroom door - an old bookcase, which parted to reveal a hidden corridor leading deeper into the building. The doors closed behind them as they walked in, and military police and SSR agents turned to stare at them as they marched by. They passed through a set of double doors at the far end of the corridor, which opened out into a spacious room filled with electronic control panels, all with wires leading to a bizarre contraption that looked to Steve’s eyes like a mixture between iron maiden and an iron lung in the centre of the room. The group of scientists that had been milling about promptly looked up from their work to gawk at him. He was led down the stairs, where Doctor Erskine waited for him.

“Good morning.” He greeted, shaking Steve’s hand. A camera flash went off. “Please, not now!” the doctor growled, seeing the photographer off. Rogers eyed the machine worriedly. “Are you ready?” Erskine asked. He nodded. “Good. Take off your shirt, your tie and your hat.” The doctor ordered.

“We’ll be watching from up there. See you when I see you, Steve. Good luck.” Ama said with a nervous smile, shaking his hand. She and Peggy made their way up to the observation room, but Maggie lingered. After a few second of internal debate, she leant forward to kiss him gently.

“What’d I do to earn that?” he asked, blushing.

“Nothing. That was for luck.” she said brightly, speeding off up the stairs before he could say anything else.

They arrived in the press box to find Colonel Phillips already there, along with a rather irate looking Senator Brandt. “Why exactly am I in Brooklyn?” the politician grumbled.

“We needed access to the city’s power grid. Of course, if you’d have given me the generators I requisitioned…” Phillips trailed off mildly.

“Colonel’s giving as good as he’s getting today, huh?” Ama said with a smirk.

“Lot of people asking for funds, Colonel. Oh, this is Clem…er…” the Senator faltered in his attempt to introduce the spectacled man behind him.

“Fred Clemson, state department. If this project of yours comes through, we’d like to see it used for something other than the headlines.” He said with a smile. The woman clutching his arm shifted restlessly, and Ama frowned at the way he tensed almost imperceptibly at the motion.

“This is my fiancée, Avalon Reinhardt. She’s a biologist, so I was hoping this might be interesting for her.” he explained. Avalon continued to stare through large, dark sunglasses, giving Ama the distinctly uncomfortable feeling that she was being studied.

“Not much for conversation, is she?” Mags commented when Avalon failed to respond.

“She’s German. Her English isn’t exactly great, so she’s a bit embarrassed to talk to people.” Clemson explained, nudging Avalon very slightly. She didn’t appear to notice, continuing to watch the redhead.

“Ama. _**Hilfe mir**_.”

The short, gravelly sentence made them all jump. “Avalon! What did I say about straining yourself? You’re not even using the right words!” Clemson admonished.

“What did she just say?” Maggie asked curiously.

“Something about a violin. I think she’s confusing you with that famous violinist who went missing recently. You do look a lot like her. What was her name, Amalynn or something?” he muttered.

“Something like that, yeah.” Ama said airily.

“ _ **JESUS!**_ Someone get that kid a sandwich!” Brandt squawked at the sight of Steve, making them all jump again.

“C’mon, we’d better sit down before you cause trouble. Vergiss nicht dein Aufträge.” Clemson murmured, leading Avalon to a bench.

Erskine flicked the microphone. “Can you hear me? Is this on? Ladies and gentlemen, today we take not another step towards _annihilation_ , but the first step on the path to **peace**. We begin with a series of micro injections into the subject’s major muscle groups. The serum infusion will cause immediate cellular change. Then, to stimulate growth, the subject will be saturated with vitarays. Serum infusion beginning in 5…4…3…2…1.” The doctor called out. After the serum was injected, he turned to Howard. “Now, Mr. Stark.” He ordered. The machine began to turn until it was upright, the doors closing over Steve. “We will proceed.” The doctor instructed, and Stark turned the vitarays on. The machine began to glow brightly on the inside, obscuring their view of Steve.

“Saturation at 10%. 20%. 30…that’s 40%.” Stark called.

“Vital signs are normal.” Another scientist added.

50%…60…70-” Howard’s progress updates were cut off suddenly when Steve began to scream in pain.

“ _SHUT IT DOWN!”_ Peggy and Maggie yelled in unison.

“Turn it off, Mr. Stark! Kill it, kill the reactors!” Erskine ordered.

“ **NO! DON’T! I CAN DO THIS!”** Steve roared.

Stark continued, upping the saturation level quickly. “80! 90! That’s 100%!” He called as the machine burned furiously bright. Suddenly, the reactors began to spark, and the control panels burned out. The lights in the machine died down, and there was silence. Howard pulled a lever and the doors on the machine opened, revealing what looked like a completely different man inside.

“That’s _Steve?_ ” Ama asked, jaw dropping. Clemson and Reinhardt followed them down into the room, leaving a silver cigarette case behind.

“We…did it?” Steve asked blearily as he stepped out of the machine, supported by Erskine and Stark.

“Ja, ja. I think we did.” The doctor said happily.

“How do you feel?” Maggie asked worriedly.

“Taller.” He said woozily.

“You _look_ taller, but honestly I’m just glad you’re alive.” She said with a relieved smile.

“How do you like Brooklyn now, Senator?” Philips asked Brandt in passing.

“I can think of some folks in Berlin who’re about to get _very_ nervous.” Brandt replied good-naturedly.

“Well, look at that. You did it, Doc.” Ama said happily, hugging Erskine. He smiled and patted her head.

“Ah, indeed. I am glad to share this moment with you both.” He said warmly. He paused when he noticed Clemson and the strange figure standing next to him.

Avalon had shed her dress to reveal a sleek uniform made up of a black body suit, matching trousers and knee high boots – but what caught the eye the most was the dull grey metal of the full head helmet she’d donned. Six lights hummed to life on the front of it, burning crimson under the bright lab lights. _“Scharfrichter.”_ Erskine murmured, horrified.

“What? What’s going on?” Mags asked urgently.

“ **SCHARFRICHTER!”** he shouted, and Clemson flicked on a lighter from his pocket. At once, the observation room exploded in roar of flame and hail of broken glass. The last vial of serum floated from the machine as if suspended by the air itself, and Reinhardt caught it deftly as soon as it came within range.

“ _ **STOP THEM!”**_ Abraham cried. Clemson pulled a pistol and fired two shots directly into Erskine’s heart, before he and Reinhardt sprinted off up the stairs. Peggy fired, hitting Clemson in the shoulder as he rounded the corner and disappeared.

“ **DOCTOR!** _ **ABRAHAM!**_ **”**

Ama and Mags ran to Erskine’s aid, the medic trying desperately to stem the flow of blood blooming over his chest. “Come on, Doc! Don’t do this to us. Please don’t do this to us.” Maggie said shakily, taking his hand and holding it tightly. The doctor lifted a finger, tapping it on Steve’s chest, right above where his own heart would be, before closing his eyes for good.

“No, no, no, no! Wake up! Please wake up! _Abraham!_ ” Ama appealed, shaking him slightly. There was no response.

Steve stood, glaring up at the corridor the assassins had fled through. “I’m going after them.” he said decisively.

“I’m coming with you.” Mags said tearfully, gritting her teeth against the grief. She turned to Amaryllis.

“Come on, Red. You did your best, but he’s gone. There’s nothing more you can do here. Now we’ve got to focus on the living. Dr Erskine’s biggest fear was that HYDRA would get a hold of his serum. We can’t let that happen!” she said adamantly.

Ama stood shakily, wiping the blood on her hands off on her trousers. “Right. Let’s go and get those sons of bitches before they hurt anyone else!” she said furiously, and the three of them ran upstairs.

“What makes you so sure these guys are HYDRA?” Steve wondered, easily keeping pace with them.

“I don’t know anyone else who uses Scharfrichters. How the hell did they get that thing across the border in the first place?!” Mags snarled.

“Same way they got it past us, I imagine. Having it pretend it was a human. Still, I had no idea they were actually people under the uniform. I thought they were machines!” Ama said with a frown.

“Scharfrichters? I thought they were a myth?” Rogers asked.

“How much do you know about ‘em?” Maggie pressed.

“About as much as anyone else, I guess. They’re powerful assassins who accompany HYDRA’s elite.” he said dubiously.

“You’re only half right. We don’t know where they came from, but we sure as hell know what they’re for. During the Bosphorus Expedition, Mags and I were unlucky enough to run afoul of some of them. Most of the time, they act as personal bodyguards for the cream of the crop, but they’re also used in killsquads and for assassination purposes. The name Scharfrichter means ‘executioner’, and that’s what they function as at a base level. Anyone who’s not HYDRA is the enemy, and these things have all sorts of crazy abilities. This is the first time I’ve seen one outside of occupied territory.” Ama said anxiously.

“Essentially, they’re living weapons that can apparently hide in plain sight until they’re needed. God only knows how you create something like that. I sure as hell hope we never find out what they’re made of.” Maggie said with a shudder.

They ran out into the street in time to see Clemson and Reinhardt enter a taxi and speed off down the main road. “Dammit! We need a ride. Steve, you might be able to catch up to them on foot.” Ama mused.

“Go on, we’ll catch up to you!” Mags called over her shoulder as she busted open the door of the nearest car.

Steve ran out into the street, pursuing the taxi which Clemson and Reinhardt had stolen. Despite crashing through numerous buildings and vaulting an 8 foot high fence, he continued to pursue them all the way to the pier, even going as far as to leap onto the car roof. While trying to dislodge him, Clemson flipped the vehicle. It rolled a few times, throwing Reinhardt through the windshield in the process. To Steve’s great surprise, she stood up, and something invisible hit the ground in front of him with enough force to leave a hand-shaped crater in the asphalt.

“What the hell?” he hissed, leaping back. The Scharfrichter made no move to follow him, simply tilting her head curiously as she watched him from behind the helmet.

Clemson fled the scene, dragging a small boy away from his mother to use as a human shield. Steve made to follow, only to dive out of the way when the destroyed taxi flew towards him. “Whoa, hey! Watch it! There are innocent people around who’re gonna get hurt if you keep doing that!” he shouted at Reinhardt.

The roar of an engine alerted him to the arrival of Ama and Mags, and he sidestepped the car as it sped towards the Scharfrichter at incredible speed. Avalon remained unbothered, leaping impossibly high when the car was about to make contact and landing behind it. Undeterred, Ama deliberately span the car in an attempt to knock her over. Something unseen slammed into the back of the vehicle, almost knocking it into the wall.

“Fuck! What the hell is this thing?!” Mags groused, kicking the door open and jumping out. The Scharfrichter caught sight of her and paused.

“Ma…ggie. Maggie. _Maggie._ ” it rasped.

“What?! It knows me too?! That’s impossible!” Mags hissed, drawing her pistol.

“What do you mean?” Steve asked, confused.

“I’m a Deadman! The government erased my existence years ago! The only people who know me by name are a handful of SSR officers and the people who knew me before I joined the Secret Service!” Maggie explained tremulously.

“And we know someone who disappeared in hostile territory who’s known us since our childhood! Someone we’ve been looking for this whole time.” Ama murmured, stepping out of the car and approaching the Scharfrichter.

“ **Roo?”**

The gentle call seemed to startle the Scharfrichter and she reeled back, clutching at her helmet before letting out an impossibly loud, inhuman scream.

“Steve! While she’s distracted!” Mags shouted, and he nodded, running off in pursuit of Clemson.

  


Pain flooded Avalon’s senses, filling her vision with blinding white that crushed out all thought of soldiers and orders in favour of other, older memories long buried.

“ _Hey, Eryn! You’re going the wrong way, dumbass! How can you get lost in your own town?! You’ve never left!” Maggie teased, dragging her friend along by her collar._

“ _I swear, you like getting lost!” Ama said with a sigh, rolling her eyes._

_Eryn laughed, the clean, rich air of Falchurch filling her lungs with every breath. The day was bright and clear, the few fluffy white clouds clinging close to the great blue horizon in the distance. “You know getting lost is the best way to find an adventure! We’ll have a lot of those one day! Once we finally get out of this village.” she said breezily, staring out at the indigo sea from the clifftop._

“ _If you ever get out of here. Not likely with your lazy attitude.” someone jeered from behind her, and she turned to see a boy not much younger than her, with the same eye and hair colour as her, as well as the pattern of freckles she knew so well._

“Ro…man. Roman.” the Scharfrichter moaned mournfully as the reality of truth set in. “My…my family was…!” she choked out, the air closing in around her.

The newspaper.

The fire.

Schmidt.

Kruger.

Reinhardt.

_Reinhardt._

Avalon let out another scream, this time falling to her knees and clawing at her helmet uselessly.

“Eryn! It’s okay! Listen to me! It’s gonna be okay, Eryn!” Ama soothed, running over to the Scharfrichter and yanking the helmet off.

Eryn gave no indication that she’d heard, simply keeling over and hitting the asphalt with a dull thud.

“Shit! She’s going into shock! Maggie, I need you to get us back to the SSR base right now!” the medic yelled.

“But what about Steve?” Mags asked.

“What about me?” Rogers asked grimly, returning soaked to the skin and dragging the lifeless body of Clemson behind him.

“Steve?! What happened?” she yelped.

“I’ll explain later. Let’s just find a car…and get her out of here while we still can.” he said seriously.

  


“Foley-Quirke, Eryngo Carmel. Disappeared in 1939 three weeks after receiving her last assignment, declared killed in action six months later as is customary for members of the Secret Service. Nobody expected her to still be alive after all this time.” Peggy said quietly, watching through the observation window as Eryn sat on the bed of the cell beyond, propped up against the wall.

“Three years of HYDRA trying to get inside her head. She must’ve been one hell of an agent to last that long.” Stark mused.

“She is. Or rather, was. Who knows what the hell is going on in there now?” Phillips said with a frown.

“It seems to have been an attempt at some sort of memory modification. The moment I called her by her childhood nickname, she fell apart. She just stopped fighting and collapsed.” Ama said softly.

“We’ve known each other almost as long as we’ve been alive. Even HYDRA couldn’t account for a connection that strong. All I wanna know is what the hell they did to her, and how can we undo it?” Mags asked.

“We’re in uncharted territory here, Agent Fairborn. Aside from a psychiatric evaluation and extradition to the United Kingdom, I’m not sure what else we can do for her.” Phillips said bitterly.

“What? Send her home just so she can be locked up in Bedlam?! She needs _help_ , not another prison cell!” Ama argued.

“What the hell do you want me to do, Faulkner? We’re way outta our depth here, and it shows! If you got any other suggestions, now’d be a good time!” he huffed.

“Talk to her. See how much of the Eryn we knew is still in there. It can’t be one of us – I think it might be a little too much for her to take right now. But she knows you, Colonel. She trusts you. Please.” she appealed.

His protests died at the looks on their faces and he sighed. “Alright, I’ll do it. But if we can’t bring her back to earth, she’s getting shipped out to the SSR base in London first thing tomorrow!” he barked.


	5. The Land Where The Sea Holly Grows

Eryn winced when the cell door juddered open and Colonel Phillips stepped in, giving her an appraising look as she scuttled back against the far wall. “Relax, kid. I’m not here to hurt you.” he assured her, seating himself on the chair behind the interrogation desk. “You know who you are?” he asked.

“HADES-I Subject One-Four-Seven-Two, a Vollstrecker Scharfrichter in the service of HYDRA. Codename: AVALON. Currently under the care of Heinz Kruger, no special permissions granted.” she replied immediately.

“No, not you.” Phillips said flatly. She stared at him.

“I’m not talking to you. I’m not interested in the cheap HYDRA knockoff, I wanna talk to my agent. However long it takes and _what_ ever it takes to get her back, I’ll do it. She’s got information from behind the scenes of HYDRA that nobody else has access to. You hear that? We need you on this, Quirke.” he called.

“S’ Foley-Quirke, Boss.” Eryn replied, squinting at him. Ama and Maggie breathed a collective sigh of relief from the other side of the glass.

“That’s more like it. What the hell happened to you, Quirke?” the Colonel asked. She laughed quietly, resting the back of her head against the wall.

“I don’t think I could explain it if I tried. It’s been fucking crazy, Boss. I thought I was a goner. I _wished_ I was.” She took a deep breath, sitting forward slightly.

“I fucked up. I thought I had nothing else left to lose. That’s why I went out there. I was wrong, I was so wrong. I’m such an idiot.” she said weakly, fighting back tears.

“What’d they do to you?” he asked, frowning. She shook her head.

“I don’t know how to explain it. It’s like…like they hollowed me out. Hollowed me out and shoved something else back in. Something _**terrible.**_ Something’s wrong with me. Really. I don’t know what kind of fucked up bullshit they pulled to make me forget what I was before. But I forgot everything except the lies they poured inside my head. They had me convinced I was Reinhardt’s daughter, that I lost my memories in an accident. They had me all cosied up, ready to be married off to Kruger like some kinda chattel. And I really believed it. I believed all of it.” she said weakly.

“Well, that ain’t your fault. Reinhardt…he’s the sick son of a bitch who dreamed up the Scharfrichters in the first place, right? I’ve been reading the reports from the undercover agents working alongside him, and they’re not pretty. And Kruger…that’s the guy Rogers pulled from the river. He bit down on a cyanide pill before we could do anything about it, though. What do you know about him?” Phillips asked.

“His full name was Heinz Kruger. He was HYDRA’s top assassin. That’s why he was the one chosen to assassinate Erskine. This was a priority mission. We were supposed to kill him and make off with the formula before he made any supersoldiers, but Kruger got curious, wanted to see the results for himself. I was sent with him as a precaution, a field test to see what Scharfrichters are capable of behind enemy lines. I don’t think Schmidt ever expected there to be people here who would recognise me, let alone know me by name. This wasn’t in the plan. We were supposed to go back to Germany.” she explained.

“Do you think you could? Maybe as an undercover?” he asked. She shook her head.

“No way in hell. They’d know right off the bat that I’m not Avalon. I wouldn’t even make it past the damn gates. With Kruger gone, I’ve got no way of getting back there anyway.” she said resentfully.

“What about your grandfather? When was the last time you saw Ethelbert?” he pressed.

“The day I got captured. I came home to find the house ransacked. HYDRA was waiting for me. Schmidt shot the housekeeper, Maria. She hadn’t done anything wrong – he just wanted me to understand what’d happen to my grandfather if I put up a fight. So I went quietly. Last I saw, he was being forced into a car that went off in the opposite direction to the armoured vehicle they trapped me in. But he’s still alive, or Schmidt would’ve dragged me in to work on his crazy schemes instead.” she replied.

“You got any intel on what kinda schemes he’s cookin’ up out there?” the Colonel asked.

“Barely. And I don’t know if you’ll be able to make heads or tails of it, ‘cause I sure as hell can’t. Boss, he…he found something. He called it the Tesseract. It’s a mythical power source supposedly granted to humanity by the Gods of Norse mythology. I thought it was just bullshit, but when I saw it for myself, I knew I was wrong. I don’t know what the hell that thing really is or where it came from, but I know Schmidt has it, and that’s not good.” she said with a shudder.

“Why? What’s the deal with this teriyaki thing?” he asked urgently.

“ _Tesseract._ And I have no idea, beyond that it seems to be a permanent battery. This thing just never runs out of energy. It throws off radiation, electromagnetic interference – but it’s not something you can just pick up and carry around with you. I don’t think a human would survive physical contact with it for more than a few seconds. But I do know the energy can be harnessed.” she said darkly.

“And how do you know that?” he asked suspiciously.

“Because Schmidt had Reinhardt beam it directly into my brain. He was testing a theory. You see, there are certain people who have abilities. Abilities beyond what normal people can do, and I’m not just talking supersoldiers. Normally, people are born with these powers. But there was something in my blood. Schmidt called it the blood of the Valkyrie. Whatever it is, it forces these abilities into a dormant state where they can only be wakened by a power like the Tesseract. I thought it was all garbage and that Schmidt was having me on, but it turns out it’s all true. Shortly after I was exposed to the energy of the Tesseract, I started noticing things. I could move things just by thinking about it. Break things, even. It’s like having an invisible extension of my limbs. Whatever this power is, the Tesseract woke it up. And I’m not the only one like this. There are others, hundreds of others waiting to be turned into Scharfrichters. The Hades facilities exist to hunt down these Varianten and bring them to heel in a prison-fortress where they can be held safely and experimented on until Schmidt needs ‘em.” she explained, scrunching her face up as she clearly struggled to remember.

“And how many more Valkyries are there?” he asked.

“Schmidt said there were two. But he hadn’t caught them yet and wasn’t sure where they were. Could be anywhere, Boss. I wouldn’t worry about them.” she said with a shrug.

“What about the Scharfrichters? There are others, right?” he interrogated.

“Once there were many. Now? I’m not so sure. There’s only one other that I know of, and he’s not combat-ready. He’ll never be forced into line by HYDRA. They’ll kill him before they can make him obey. But I don’t know about the others. If they use the techniques they trialled on me with all those Variants they’ve collected, they could have a whole army of powered people ready to go in just a few years.” she warned.

He sighed again, deeper this time. “Listen, Agent. I need you on this. You were deeper in Schmidt’s inner circle than anyone else on Earth and you came back alive. Do you appreciate how rare that is?” he asked seriously.

“Yes sir. I’m well aware of how lucky I was to escape this time.” she said softly.

“Good. ‘Cause there’s a war goin’ on and I don’t have time to spend trying to help you readjust to life in the SSR. Agents Faulkner, Fairborn and Carter will have to pick up the slack on that. Stark too. I just need you to tell me one thing: are you ready to go to work?” he asked, looking her directly in the eye.

Eryn took a deep breath before answering. “Sir, if it means taking the fight to HYDRA, I was born ready.” she said sincerely.

  


“So? What’s the dice?” Mags asked as soon as Phillips stepped out of the Eryn’s cell.

“The dice is brainwashing, Agent Fairborn. HYDRA’s newest tactic. According to Quirke, they’re taking our best and brightest and torturing them until the point they lose sight of who they are. Then the goose-stepping scientists jump in to take over and rewire a subject’s brain, building a new identity from the ground up.” he said coolly.

“Is something like that even possible?” Stark asked, horrified.

“Schmidt did it, so it must be. According to Quirke, there’s only one other finished one at the moment, but it seems he doesn’t wanna play ball. But that’s not a great comfort when Schmidt’s got hundreds of other freaks with all sorts of wacky abilities ready to be turned into an army of slaves any minute. What it does give us is _**time**_ – time to get back this Tesseract thing she keeps going on about.” the Colonel explained.

“Tesseract? What’s that?” Ama wondered.

“Even Quirke doesn’t have a clue. All we know and all we need to know is that it’s powering the vast majority of HYDRA’s weapons tech, and possibly these Scharfrichter things too. If we can get that back, we can pull the rug out from under Schmidt and watch him fall on his ass while we use the Tesseract to blast HYDRA and the rest of those Nazi bastards off the face of the Earth.” he elaborated.

“And what about Eryn herself?” Maggie asked.

“She’s about as shaken up as it’s possible to be and she’ll probably never be the same again, but she seems eager to get back to work. I wasn’t gonna argue with her, the kid’s been through hell and could probably do with working out her anger on some HYDRA cannon fodder. Better for her to do something constructive than while away her time in a cell, y’know?” he said mildly.

“Is that really okay? I mean, what if she turns again? She could start attacking us next, and you know damn well that if it came down to a choice between the SSR and Eryn, Mags and I would drop you like a ton of hot shit to keep her safe.” Ama reminded him.

“I know. That’s why I want the two of you, plus Stark and Carter as well, to keep an eye on her. She’s gonna have her twenty-four hours under surveillance and then she’s all yours. Do **not** drop the ball on this one.” Phillips said firmly.

“Who do you think you’re talking to?” Mags protested, and the Colonel’s witty retort was lost when Brandt shoved his way into the engineering room.

“Colonel Phillips, the Committee is demanding answers.” the Senator said irately, following them into the garage.

“Great. Why don’t we start with how a German spy and his SSR agent girlfriend got a ride to my secret destination in _your_ car?” Phillips shot back. “What do we got here?” he called, watching as Stark worked on the confiscated submarine car.

“Speaking _modestly_ , I’m the best mechanical engineer in this country, but I dunno what’s inside this thing **or** how it works. We’re not even close to this technology.” Stark replied.

“Then who is?” Brandt growled.

“HYDRA. I take it you’ve been reading our briefings? They’re the Nazi deep science division, run by Johann Schmidt, but he has much bigger ambitions. They’re practically a cult, they worship Schmidt as some sort of invincible hero.” Ama explained curtly.

“So what are you gonna do about it?” the Senator huffed.

“Spoke to the President this morning. As of today, the SSR is being re-tasked. We are taking the fight to HYDRA, pack your bags Agents Carter, Faulkner and Fairborn. You too, Stark. We’re flying to London tonight and we’re taking Quirke with us.” Phillips ordered.

 

A few hours later, Steve found himself wandering the corridors aimlessly, stung by Colonel Phillips’ rejection of his offer to accompany them to Europe. A strange sound caught his attention and he stopped, listening hard. It took him a while to realise it was music. Curious, he followed the sound to a room he knew to be abandoned, only to find Maggie and Ama within, the blonde sat on a rickety old stool at an ancient grand piano, and the redhead on a beautifully kept rosewood violin. They smiled at him as he entered, but continued to play in perfect harmony. He applauded when they finished, and both of them bowed politely. “That was amazing. What was that piece of music?” he asked.

“La fille aux cheveux de lin, or ‘The Girl With The Flaxen hair’. One of Claude Debussy’s finest. It was originally meant as a companion piece to a poem of the same name. Why don’t you give it a read?” Ama suggested, handing him a small book as she packed away her violin carefully. He didn’t notice her quietly sneak out of the room as he began to read aloud.

“ _On the Lucerne ‘midst flowers in bloom,_ _  
__Who sings praises to morning?_ _  
__It is the girl with golden hair,_ _  
__The beauty with lips of cherry._

_For love, in clear summer sunlight,_ __  
_Has soared with the lark and sung now._ __  
  
_Your mouth has such colours divine,_ __  
_My dear, so tempting to kisses._ __  
_On grass in bloom, talk to me, please,_ __  
_Girl with fine curls and long lashes._ __  
  
_For love, in clear summer sunlight,_ __  
_Has soared with the lark and sung now._ __  
  
_Do not say no, cruel maiden._ __  
_Do not say yes. Better to know_ __  
_The long lasting gaze of your eyes_ __  
_And your rosy lips, oh, my belle._ __  
  
_For love, in clear summer sunlight,_ __  
_Has soared with the lark and sung now._ __  
  
_Farewell, you deer, farewell you hares_ __  
_And the red partridge. I want_ __  
_To stroke the gold of your tresses_ __  
_Smothering lips with my kisses._ __  
  
_For love, in clear summer sunlight,_ _  
_ _Has soared with the lark and sung now.”_

He went crimson the moment he finished reading, realising that he and Maggie were alone. She sported a similar blush, looking everywhere but at him.

“It’s, uh…it’s a lovely poem.” he said faintly, swallowing hard.

“Yes, it is. What are you going to do now? The Colonel wanted to ship you off to a lab, but that’d be a total waste. Abraham died, you’re all we have left of his final project. You’re his Magnum Opus, and we’re supposed to just let you live pose as a lab rat for the rest of your life?” Mags asked bitterly.

“Well, Senator Brandt gave me another option. It involves a lot of travel, but like you say - it’s better than being someone else’s science project. Peggy said the only chance of recreating the serum is in my blood, so…it’s probably best I stay out of the fight. If there’s even a small chance HYDRA could get some of my blood and make new supersoldiers, I have to put a stop to it. I don’t wanna leave, but if that’s what it takes to keep everybody safe, that’s what I’ll do.” Steve said simply.

“I don’t want you to leave either! You were meant for so much more than this! You’re more than what they made you, Steven! This isn’t what Abraham would’ve wanted!” she protested, eyes filling with tears.

Steve crossed the room in three strides and pulled her into a hug. “Hey, hey. None of this is your fault, Mags. But I can’t just sit around waiting for something to happen, I have to help in whatever way I can. You know that. We’re probably not gonna see each other for a while, but I promise I won’t let you down.” he said honestly.

“I know you won’t. You’ve never let me down before. I just…I don’t want you to go.” she said unhappily. He kissed her on the forehead.

“I know, Lia. But I have to do this. You don’t have to wait for me.” he said softly.

“I know. But I’m gonna do it anyway. Besides, I never got to thank you for bringing Eryn back and rescuing that kid. Not properly, at least. You’re gonna have to bend down, though. I can’t reach that high.” she said with a grin, tugging on his collar until he was within reach and kissing him slowly.

“…Something to remember you by?” Steve asked dazedly as they broke apart.

“More like a parting gift. Don’t make me wait too long, soldier.” she said softly.

“Wouldn’t dream of it, ma’am.”

  


“So what are we supposed to do? We’ve lost Erskine, we’re losing Rogers, we’re being relocated to England, and Eryn’s far from stable. We’re down to two of our best scientific minds, and there’s always the possibility that these other Valkyries Schmidt is after are somewhere in Europe. Worse still, they could be part of HYDRA. What do we do then? We can’t make Eryn fight them, she’ll lose!” Stark said worriedly.

“I agree. I think we should focus on getting the Tesseract back. The Colonel’s plan is pretty solid – besides, if Schmidt doesn’t have Tesseract energy, he won’t be able to wake the Valkyrie blood or whatever, so their powers should stay dormant. Either way, we’re out in the dark, so we’ve got to work together as best we can. I can’t see the Colonel keeping Roo locked up forever, not when she knows as much as she does. She’s the best mechanical engineer on the planet – no offense.” Ama explained.

“None taken. But if the three of us work together, we should be able to come up with something, right? I mean, we’re the cream of the crop, here. If the world’s best engineers and most talented medical mind can’t come up with a solution to this Scharfrichter problem and the Valkyries, nobody else has much of a shot.” he said with a frown.

“True. There’s a lot riding on us this time, Howard. You sure you’re up to the pressure?” she ribbed, smirking at him.

“You know I am! Quit trying to scare me, you suck at it!” he puffed, offended.

“NAHAHAHA! Well, it was worth a shot. I suppose we’d better get our gear together.” she said with a smile.

“Yeah, after all, it’s a long way to Tipperary.” he said with a wink as he headed for the lab.

“That’s in _**Ireland,**_ Stark! Learn geography!” she shouted after him, shaking her head as she began to pack away medical supplies.


	6. It's Good To See You Again

**ITALY, JULY 1943 – 5 MILES FROM THE FRONT.**

  


“Oi, Sarge. Looks like those SSR guys are here. They brought a whole goddamn convoy with ‘em, too.” Gunnery said with a snort, indicating the line of trucks that had begun entering the encampment.

“Great, _just_ what we need – more scientists.” Bucky muttered under his breath, throwing his newspaper aside and jogging over to the nearest truck.

“Hey! What’s the big idea? You don’t have the resources to make your own damn camp?” he asked irritably as Stark clambered out of the vehicle. Howard opened his mouth to reply, only to be knocked out of the way by a blur of flaming red hair.

“Bucky?!” Ama gaped, shocked.

“ _ **LIS?!**_ You’re with the SSR?!” Barnes yelped.

“And you’re here! None of us are allowed to put sensitive information in our letters, so I couldn’t exactly come clean about being part of the Reserve…and you couldn’t tell me where you were.” she said softly.

“Yeah, wow. What a crazy coincidence.” Maggie deadpanned as she leapt out of the truck easily.

“Oh, you’re here too.” Bucky said unenthusiastically on spotting the blonde.

“DON’T SOUND SO DISAPPOINTED! If it wasn’t for me, you wouldn’t even be having this little reunion! The Colonel wanted Ama to stay in England on medical duties, but I convinced him she’d be of better use here!” Mags puffed, incensed.

“Oh. Well. Thanks, I guess. You look good, Lis.” Barnes said quietly.

“So do you. I hear you boys are about to take the fight to HYDRA.” Ama began, following closely as he inspected the trucks.

“Yeah, shipping out to Azzano first thing tomorrow morning. It’s about time we gave those guys some hell. What’s in that one?” he asked, singling out the largest, most armoured truck of them all.

“A friend. She’s been very useful to us, taught us a lot about Scharfrichters. How to deal with them, how to keep them at bay…that sort of thing.” the redhead said smoothly, handing him a vial of something. “Don’t uncork that! It’s the latest in anti-Scharfrichter technology!” she said hastily when he moved to open it.

“What’s in it?” he wondered, examining the clear, pale brown substance apprehensively.

“Honestly? Pickling vinegar laced with an **incredible** amount of capsaicin.” she explained. He raised an eyebrow.

“Don’t give me that look! Our trials have been very successful! Those helmets Scharfrichters wear? It’s for a _reason._ They’re quite sensitive, unusually susceptible to sensory overloads just from the ordinary everyday world. The helmets help keep them calm. The likelihood of you seeing one is very slim, but this vial is designed to shatter on contact with a helmet, dousing them in this strong-smelling, painful substance. It’d be enough to drive anyone crazy, let alone someone who’s trapped with it seeping into their headgear. It’s only designed to repel them, but it’s worked out well so far.” she elaborated.

“Repel them? Not fight them?” Bucky repeated.

“No. We believed that the Scharfrichters were volunteers, but we’ve since found that’s not the case. They’re prisoners, brainwashed into doing HYDRA’s bidding. We’d like to take them alive, if at all possible. Eryn says there’s only one other, but with Schmidt’s technology now outstripping our own, he could have armies of them ready in less than a year. We have to take precautions.” Ama said wisely as a ramp was lowered from the largest truck, allowing an enormous metal container to slide from the vehicle onto the ground, where it sank slightly in the mud.

“What’s in that thing?” he asked.

“It’s not a what, it’s a who.” she said mildly as Peggy approached the container and knocked on the side.

“Eryn? How are you holding up?” Carter asked.

“It’s cold in here and water’s leaking in through the bottom. Can you get me out?” an unhappy reply came from inside.

“You’re a telekinetic, do it yourself.” Maggie shot back.

“What, and get shot to pieces by a whole platoon of trigger-giddy morons?! No, thanks! Just bust the damn lock already!” the container snapped.

Peggy rolled her eyes, taking a wrench and hitting the heavy lock on the front of the container with a single, well-placed smack. It broke apart immediately and fell off, allowing the container doors to swing open and reveal Eryn within. She blinked and squinted at the intrusive sunlight, hopping over the pool of muddy water that had begun to collect in the container and stepping into the light.

“Ah, man! I got cramps in my everywheres!” she complained, stretching and stopping suddenly when something cracked.

“ **This** is your secret weapon?” Bucky asked, not looking particularly impressed by the new arrival.

“That’s me. Did a disappearing act in HYDRA territory a couple of years ago, came back as something else. Your pal Rogers and these two saved my hide. You’re Bucky, right? Ama never shuts up about you.” Roo said idly.

“James Buchanan Barnes, at your service. So you’re one of those, right? A Scharfrichter? Do me a favour and take it easy on these guys.” he said easily, indicating the curious group of troops behind him. “They’re _my_ trigger-giddy morons, so I’d like it if you didn’t damage ‘em too much during training exercises.” he said good naturedly.

“That depends entirely on them, pal. I don’t pull my punches for anybody. If your team isn’t tough enough to get past me, they don’t stand a snowball’s chance in hell of beating a Scharfrichter in the field. But enough of the increasingly irritable banter – all that fun stuff will have to wait until you get back from Azzano. From what the Colonel told me, we don’t know jack about what’s going on out there, so er…good luck, I guess?” she said with a shrug.

“She’s not a people person, huh?” Bucky observed.

“Not really. She spent a couple of years locked up in a HYDRA lab somewhere, which really did a number on her already limited people skills. Try not to take it personally.” Ama said with a sigh as Peggy linked arms with Eryn and hauled her off.

He frowned again. “Is it really safe, bringing someone like that here?” he asked warily.

“Probably not, but what choice do we have? We’re running out of options fast. I suppose I’d better start carting the medical supplies in. You wouldn’t mind carrying a few things for me, would you? Could use a strong pair of arms.” the redhead said shyly. He grinned.

“Anything for you, doll.” he said warmly, flashing a genuine smile when she went beet red.

  


“So, whaddya think?” The Colonel asked, showing Mags into the tent that had been converted into the new command centre.

“Well, it’s better than nothing, I suppose. Still, I have my reservations about this offensive tomorrow. We don’t know a damn thing about what’s going on in Azzano, Boss. Why’re we sending men out there?” she asked seriously.

“You got concerns, you better spit ‘em out.” he replied.

“Yes, sir, I do. I’m concerned that we’re running headlong into a trap. The 107th is our best division, if they go up in smoke we’re sitting ducks out here. And HYDRA won’t hesitate to take our top soldiers and break them apart in their crazy experiments. It’s a bad idea, and I think you _**know**_ it’s a bad idea.” she hissed.

“I do. But I’m not the one calling the shots here, Agent. I’m just following orders, as you should be. Your concern for Sergeant Barnes and his men is admirable, but I know damn well it’s coming from concern for your sister. This is war, Agent Fairborn. We can’t let our emotions get the best of us, not when our enemy doesn’t have any. War’s cruel, you and your sister know that better’n most. Faulkner accepted the possibility that her squeeze might die when she started dating a soldier. That was her choice. How do you think the 107th would feel if they found out they weren’t allowed to see action because some SSR agent they’ve never met got cold feet?” Phillips said firmly.

“Those men are gonna die if you send them out there. Worse, if HYDRA takes them alive.” she protested.

“Yes, they are. But we need intel and we can’t risk any more of our intelligence officers trying to crack into what may be a heavily fortified HYDRA base.” he said coolly.

“So those goons up in Washington are just buying our lives with theirs, is that right? They’re deliberately sending those men into a fight they can’t win on the off-chance that one of them makes it back alive with intel we can actually use? What kind of gamble is that?! Who comes up with these awful ideas, and why the hell are they getting paid more than I am?! The Colonel I know would **never** sanction a suicide mission for even one person, let alone a whole platoon! What changed?” Maggie demanded.

“ **Quirke did**. She came back different, came back _**wrong**_. She had a lot of intelligence we could use, but it came at a cost. We know we’re in a race against time against an enemy that’s got us hopelessly outmatched. If we don’t do something drastic, Schmidt’s gonna get his army of Scharfrichters and that’ll be the end of the story. You understand now? ‘Cause I need you to appreciate just how bad the situation is. We’re talking ‘end of the world as we know it’ scenarios here, Agent Fairborn. I have my orders and you have yours. Trust me when I say I don’t like it any more than you. If you think you can come up with a better alternative before 0500 tomorrow morning, you do that! I’ll be all ears. But you’re no tactician, so excuse me if I don’t hold my breath.” Phillips countered.

“You’re right, I’m not. But Eryn is.” she said stubbornly.

“I know, and that’s the problem. Schmidt knew about her talents just as well as we do. You really think he wouldn’t use that? Why did you suppose we were sitting in the dark and sending men out to die, Fairborn?” he asked heavily.

“Wait. You think Eryn was the one who designed HYDRA’s plan of attack in Azzano?” she asked, mouth going dry.

“It’s more than a possibility. You know we can’t risk bringing Quirke in on any of this. We don’t know what HYDRA put inside her head. If that’s all you got, I have things to do. Dismissed.” the Colonel said sternly.

  


“It must be really boring in there.” Ama mused, watching through the window of Roo’s new cell.

“Yeah. But there’s a limit to how much free reign we can give her. She’s technically a HYDRA asset seized by the SSR.” Howard pointed out.

“Not to mention she’s partly responsible for the death of Abraham Erskine.” the medic said glumly.

“We don’t even know for sure what that thing is. Sure, it talks like Eryn, walks like Eryn…even acts like her sometimes. But it also spends a lot of time staring blankly into space and stress-testing the windows, door and walls.” Stark added.

“It’s definitely Eryn. I know it’s her. My concern is whatever HYDRA shoved in there with her. There must be a way to reverse this process.” she said thoughtfully.

“What, you mean a way to un-Scharfrichterise them? I don’t know about that, Red. Seems a little risky. I mean, do we have any guarantees that there aren’t any actual volunteers mixed in with the Scharfrichter candidates? We’d need a hell of a lot of test subjects to try and work it out on, and I think they’re probably sick of being poked and prodded by scientists at this point.” he commented.

“Good point. I wanna help her, but I don’t know how. She’s been obeying orders so far, but we still don’t know what HYDRA has up their sleeves. It was smart of Phillips to confine her to the base, but she’s gonna go stir crazy if she stays in here too long. The issue is trust. We don’t know if we can still trust her, and I’ll bet she sure as hell doesn’t trust us. Everything is still confusing and strange to her. Aside from a few touchstones to the past, she doesn’t really have much.” Ama said sympathetically.

“She has us.” Howard said simply, and she smiled.

“Yeah. Yeah, you’re right. We’ll find a way out of this.” the medic said adamantly.

  


4 MONTHS LATER

  


“Now how many of you are ready to help me sock old Adolf on the jaw?”

Steve’s smile faltered slightly at the ominous silence from the crowd of assembled soldiers. “Uhh…I need a volunteer.” he called.

“I _already_ volunteered! How do you think I got here?!” one of the soldiers shouted back, to laughter from the others.

“Bring back the girls!” another yelled, to uproarious agreement from the rest.

“I think they only know the one song, but um…let me - I’ll see what I can do.” Steve offered.

“You do that sweetheart.” someone mocked.

“Nice boots, Tinkerbell.” a man he recognised vaguely as Hodge jeered.

“Come on, guys. We’re all on the same team, here.” Rogers appealed.

“Hey, Captain! Sign this!” a soldier hollered, standing with his back to the stage and pulling his trousers down, to cheers, whooping and whistling from his compatriots. Steve made a swift exit as they began to throw things at him, only for the riotous rabble to change their tune immediately when the dancers made a reappearance.

Rogers sighed, pulling off his hood and heading to a secluded spot behind the stage as rain began to pour. He pulled out a sketchbook and began doodling an image of a monkey on a unicycle, dressed in his own outfit.

“Hello, Steve.” Maggie called. He looked up from his sketchbook to smile at her slightly.

“Hey, Mags. What are you doing here?” he asked.

“Officially, we’re not here at all. So you’d better keep schtum so we don’t have to hunt you down and do terrible things to you. Sorry about the lads – they’re a bit on edge at the minute. Their platoon was almost wiped out by HYDRA’s forces. Less than 50 made it back, the rest are captured or killed, we don’t know which. They’re all that’s left of the 107th.” She said heavily.

Steve opened his mouth to say something, but was distracted by an army ambulance arriving. “That’s my cue!” Ama said quickly, rushing out and helping the soldiers carry out a patient who was clearly missing his left leg and hand.

“They look like they’ve been through hell.” He murmured.

“They _have_. It’s Ama’s skills as a field medic that’s been holding most of the boys that limped back here together.” Maggie said blandly.

“107th…that’s Bucky’s division. Did you hear from them?” he asked quickly.

“No. Ama’s been…searching. Combing every airwave, every _message_ for word but so far…nothing. If anyone knows, it’s Colonel Phillips, but he hasn’t exactly been _**helpful**_. He’s spent most of the last couple of days writing out condolence letters to the families of those behind enemy lines.” Maggie explained unhappily.

“Then maybe we oughta go pester him for answers.” Steve suggested, storming over to the tent where Phillips was filling out signatures on the typed out condolence letters. “Colonel Phillips!” Steve called.

“Well, if it isn’t the Star Spangled Man With A Plan. What is your plan today?” the Colonel asked boredly.

“I need the casualty list from Azzano.” He said hastily.

“You don’t get to give me orders, son.” Phillips growled.

“I just need one name, sir. Sergeant James Barnes, from the 107th.” Steve said worriedly.

“You two and I are gonna have a conversation later that you won’t enjoy.” Phillips said irritably, glaring at Mags and Peggy.

“I’ve signed more of these condolence letters today than I would care to count…but the name _does_ sound familiar. I’m sorry.” The Colonel said sincerely.

“What about the others? Are you planning a rescue mission?” Steve asked.

“Yeah, it’s called _winning the war_.” Phillips said flatly. “They’re 30 miles behind enemy lines, through some of the most heavily fortified territory in Europe. We’d lose more men than we’d save. But I don’t expect you to understand that, because you’re a chorus girl.” he said acidly.

“I understand just fine.” Steve replied.

“Then understand it somewhere else. If I’ve read the posters correctly, you’ve got someplace to be in 30 minutes.” Phillips said lightly, shooing them away.

“Yes sir. I do.” Steve said, exiting the tent.

“If you have something to say, now would be the perfect time to keep it to yourself.” The Colonel said sharply to the agents. They followed Steve out of the tent.

“Hey. Wait. _Wait_ a minute, stupid! Where do you think you’re going, all alone?!” Ama shouted, running over from the medical tent.

“What, you’re coming _with_ me, are you?” Steve asked, raising an eyebrow.

“That so hard to believe? We wanna help Bucky just as much as you do. The Colonel was given an order – a deliberate order from someone at the top to drop those boys in it. We’ve tried every which way to get out of here and go get them, but two spies breaking into a HYDRA lab isn’t gonna end well for anyone but Schmidt. We need something else, something more. Something like a supersoldier.” Maggie explained.

Ama frowned, struggling internally with something for a minute.“I can do you one better.” she bargained.

“What do you mean?” Peggy asked.

“A supersoldier will get us to the lab just fine, but we don’t know what we’re gonna be up against once we get in there. We need a Scharfrichter.” the redhead said seriously.

“Y-you’re serious? We’re gonna let her out, now?” Mags asked incredulously.

“Look, we’re never gonna figure out who’s side she’s on if we keep her locked away in a concrete bunker forever! We’d be no better than Schmidt! Think of it as a field test.” Ama said nervously, tipping over a nearby tree stump. Underneath was a concrete-built passage containing stairs leading down. They followed her in, jogging down the long, narrow corridors.

“You guys sure kept this place quiet.” Mags groused.

“You’ve never been down here?” Steve asked, surprised.

“She doesn’t have clearance. This place is designed to be completely sealed off from the outside should the worst happen. If Wrath ever got out, it’d be a bloodbath.” Ama answered.

“Wrath? Is that what we’re calling Eryn now?” Peggy asked, confused.

“No. It’s what we’ve been calling the **other** Eryn.” the medic replied.

Mags screeched to a halt. “Hold on a minute! ‘Other Eryn’?” she repeated, jaw dropping.

“Yes. I don’t know how to describe it. Not really. But there’s the real Roo – the one we grew up with – and then there’s…something else. Stark and I noticed it fairly early on. Eryn has very limited control of her powers. Aside from moving stuff around and breaking through things, she can’t actually do very much. But sometimes she’d go into these fugue states where she began reacting violently, and with much more power and purpose. At first we thought it was just her getting angry. We know better now. There’s another side to the Scharfrichters – that’s why she didn’t recognise us. HYDRA’s found a way to split the human psyche in two, but they can’t control it! Nobody can. Eryn’s body is riddled with scars from HYDRA’s failed control methods. Seems they found the only way to keep these things in check is by burying their memories somehow and creating an entirely new persona. But it’s not foolproof, we’ve all seen that.” Ama said quickly, picking up the Scharfrichter’s helmet from a table before stopping suddenly in front of a windowed cell.

“Hm? What are you guys doing down here? Steve, when the hell did you show up?” Eryn asked, raising an eyebrow.

“We don’t have time to explain. Are you ready to go to work?” the redhead asked, holding up the helmet.

Roo grinned. “Hell yes. Get me out of here already!”


	7. Releasing The Wolf Pack

The locks on the door clicked free and the door itself swung open seemingly of it’s own accord, letting Roo out. She donned her helmet as soon as Ama handed it to her, stretching appreciatively. “So, what’s the occasion? Somehow I get the feeling you aren’t letting me out early for _good behaviour_.” she said idly.

“You’re right. We’re going on a rescue mission to find what’s left of the 107th. Don’t act like you haven’t had something planned out for months.” Peggy said quickly.

“You know me too well. I’ve got some ideas, yeah. But we’re gonna need someone to fly us out of here. All the military air vehicles are on lockdown, there’s only one reconnaissance plane we can use and only one person on the base who knows how to fly it.” Roo explained. No sooner had she said it than Stark walked round the corner, catching sight of the motley group and freezing.

“Oh. Speak of the devil.” she said airily.

“You! You’re not supposed to be out here! Faulkner, did you let her out?! What were you thinking?!” Stark scolded.

“Oh, save it! If things go wrong, it’s on me, but right now we need her help! How do you expect Eryn to improve if we treat her like a lab rat for the rest of her natural life?!” Ama argued. He pondered this for a moment, before nodding.

“Alright. Can’t say I was keen on the idea of my best girl spending a life behind bars anyway.” he said with a sigh, winking at Eryn.

“I’m sorry, who’s best girl?” Peggy asked sharply, linking arms with Roo.

“Okay, that’s enough. Howie, I need a favour. A big one.” Eryn appealed.

“Depends what it is. And you know I hate that nickname.” he said dubiously.

“So you don’t like it when I give you pet names?” she asked.

“I didn’t say that. What is it you’re after?” he asked suspiciously.

  


The plane roared over miles of untouched forest, heading with purpose towards HYDRA’s hidden base.

“The HYDRA camp is in Krasbourg, tucked between these two mountain ranges. It’s a factory of some kind.” Peggy explained, showing Steve the map.

“That’s one of the places Schmidt was making weapons. Before they turned me into Avalon, he mentioned a big construction project going on down there. There’s a good chance he’s there too, and if he is the Tesseract will be there. He always keeps it near him for safekeeping.” Roo explained.

“Right, so. Main objectives: free prisoners, start riot, steal Tesseract, make Schmidt wish he’d never been born. Oh, and smash a bunch of Nazis along the way. You know, I’m really starting to like this plan!” Mags said brightly.

“Just make sure you do as much damage as possible in as little time as you can. Aim for the head or the fingers. Nazis with broken hands can’t pull triggers.” Ama advised.

“We should be able to drop you right on the doorstep.” Stark called from the front of the plane.

“No. It’s not safe for you to go that far in. Besides, it’ll be easier for us to get in unnoticed if we go from a distance.” Eryn said calmly, adjusting her helmet slightly. The six lights on the front hummed to life, glowing blue.

Maggie frowned. “Weren’t those red before?” she asked.

“Yes. It’s a litmus test of sorts – a warning. Red signals the presence of the Scharfrichter. So long as those lights stay blue, we’re good.” Ama explained.

“Say, how about after this, we stop off in Lucerne for a late night fondue?” Howard interjected.

“Little busy at the moment, Howie.” Roo said tersely.

“I know, that’s why I said after.” he persevered.

“For God’s sake, Howard! Read the mood a little! I’m not interested in dining with someone who had me locked up in a lab until today!” she snapped. There was an awkward silence.

“Just drop us off as close as you can.” Steve said peaceably.

“You know, you guys are going to be in a lot of trouble when you land.” Ama said, concerned.

“And you lot are going to be in a lot of trouble down there.” Peggy pointed out.

“Yeah, but where we’re going, if someone starts yelling at us, we can just shoot them.” Steve said with a shrug.

“They will undoubtedly shoot back.” Peggy pointed out.

“Then let’s hope buddy-boy’s shield is good for something, eh?” Eryn said mildly, rapping the prop with her knuckles.

“This is your transponder. Turn it on, and the signal will lead us straight to you.” Carter added.

“Are you sure this thing works?” Steve asked apprehensively as she handed him the machine.

“Been tested more than _you_ , pal.” Stark retorted testily.

Something whistled past the plane before exploding in a shower of fire just metres from the nose. “Uh-oh! Looks like that’s our cue!” Mags said cheerfully, apparently unperturbed by the volley of gunfire outside as she, Ama and Steve strapped on parachutes.

“What about you?” the medic asked, noticing Roo hadn’t moved.

“If I needed one, I’d take it. You’ll see. Howard, you turn this plane around as soon as we’re gone and get out of here. If something happens to either of you, I’ll never forgive you.” Eryn said calmly as Steve slid the plane’s door open.

Stark sighed. “Alright. You guys be careful out there.” He said grudgingly.

“Howard, it’s _us_ you’re talking to!” Ama said with a grin.

“I KNOW, THAT’S **WHY** I SAID IT!” he yelled back as they leapt out of the plane.

Ama, Mags and Steve landed hard, but safely. Eryn landed elegantly beside them, four enormous hand-shaped craters in the earth indicating how she’d slowed her fall. “Little excessive, isn’t it?” Steve asked, raising an eyebrow.

“Hey, it means Howie and Peg have an emergency chute if things go wrong.” she replied, helmet tilting to watch the silver plane disappear into the night.

“Okay, how are we getting in?” Maggie asked.

“There should be a convoy of trucks passing through here any minute now. No idea what they’re carrying, but if we jump into the back of the last one, it’ll take us into the compound with the minimum of fuss.” Ama instructed as they hid in the trees. As soon as the convoy slowed down, they leapt into the back of the nearest truck, only to find two HYDRA soldiers in there.

“Fellas.” Steve greeted, before smashing their heads together and throwing them both from the truck.

Eryn whistled. “You know, I’m liking having a supersoldier around.” she commented.

“So am I.” Mags agreed, shooting Steve a soft smile.

“Not the time to be getting cuddly, you two.” Ama warned as they pulled into a loading bay inside the HYDRA compound. Steve promptly knocked a HYDRA soldier away with his shield and the four of them snuck out of the truck and into the building.

“If we pass through this area here, it’ll take us right into the cells.” Eryn said, pointing to the watchtower above them.

“How do you _know_ all of this stuff?” Steve wondered.

“I’ve been here before. That door over there!” she ordered.

They ran out into a spacious area filled with heavily armoured vehicles, and what looked suspiciously like tanks. “Oh, _wow._ Fancy liberating this place and nabbing some cool gear?” Eryn asked, grinning appreciatively.

“Not today, Little Miss Warmonger. We’re here to _save_ people, not put them in the ground.” Ama reminded her.

“ **You** are, maybe. I’m here to bust as many HYDRA skulls as I can. And grab the Tesseract, if I can find it. But if it _is_ here, then Schmidt is too, and it’ll be with him…don’t fancy facing him down again anytime soon. You see what’s under that mask of his?” Eryn asked with a shudder.

“Mask? What mask?” Maggie asked interestedly.

“Never mind, you’ll know it when you see it. In here!” she said, leading them into a warehouse. They slipped past the guards, and found some strange, glowing blue ammunition sitting pretty on a nearby table.

“Oh wow. Is this that Tesseract stuff?” Mags asked jaw dropping.

“It’s beautiful.” Ama admired.

“Don’t get too attached. We’re here to destroy this stuff, if we even can. We were right though; this is a munitions factory.” Roo said distastefully, stuffing as much as she could carry in her pockets, along with what seemed to be grenades made of the same material. They carried on to a room filled with cylindrical cages, holding dozens of prisoners.

“Whoa. These guys aren’t just from the 107th – they’ve got soldiers and airmen from all over!” Ama hissed.

“Looks like they’ve been collecting prisoners since the start of the war. Maybe even before that.” Maggie mused, sweep-kicking the legs out from HYDRA guard who tried to sneak up on her before slamming her heel down on his head, cracking his skull against the concrete floor.

“Just don’t.” she advised, snatching the keys off his belt and promptly unlocking the nearest cage.

“Brace yourself, Red.” she cautioned.

“Why?” Ama asked, immediately on edge.

“‘Cause we’re about to get real popular. Pass the keys along!” Mags whispered.

Soon, all the cages were open and the group were swarmed by prisoners. “I don’t see him…” Ama said, scanning the crowd with a frown on her face.

“What, are we taking everybody?” one man asked as an East Asian lad stepped forward. He lifted his dog-tags.

“I’m from Fresno, ace.” He said with a snort.

“Is there anybody else? I’m looking for a Sergeant James Barnes.” Steve asked quickly.

“There’s an isolation ward on the far side of the factory, but no-one’s ever come back from it.” A British soldier informed him.

“Right. The treeline is Northwest, eighty yards past the gate. Get out fast and give ‘em hell. I’ll meet you guys in the clearing with anybody else I can find.” Rogers said decisively.

“Sounds like a plan. Ama, you go with Steve. You’re the field medic, and if what Tea and Crumpets here says is true and your friend is there, he may need medical attention.” Eryn said wisely.

“Why, what are _you_ gonna do?” Steve asked, frowning.

“Raise hell, of course!” Maggie said with a smirk.

“Wait. You know what you’re doing?” one soldier asked.

“Yeah. I’ve knocked out Adolf Hitler over 200 times.” Steve said simply, before running off with Ama in tow.

“So what now?” Mags asked.

“You saw those trucks and tanks outside, right? I’m going to go get one.” Roo said simply.

“Are you nuts?! The guards will blast you to bits! Why go to all that trouble for a tank?!” a soldier asked, shocked.

“‘Cos I want one.” she said flatly.

“And we’re all gonna get blown to bits if we stand around here gabbing! Look, do you want to get out of here or not?!” Maggie huffed.

“And why the hell should we trust someone who shows up with a Scharfrichter in tow, huh? I’ve seen her kind in action. I know what they are.” he challenged.

“Good for you, but I don’t do that anymore. You said you’d seen a Scharfrichter before. Are there any others in the compound?” Eryn asked. He shook his head.

“Not the real thing, no. But a bunch of guys got shipped out to that other facility last month and there’s another load scheduled to go on Friday.” he elaborated.

“Oh, no. What if Bucky was part of that first group?! If he got sent off to Hades, there’s no way we’re getting him back!” Mags lamented.

“Hold on a moment. You know Bucky?” the British soldier asked.

“Yeah, he’s who we’re lookin’ for! Bucky, Bucky Barnes! Don’t tell me he never told you his last name?” Roo asked incredulously. The soldiers looked at each other and shrugged.

“THAT IDIOT! He’s in for a right earful when I see him next!” Maggie ground out.

“Easy. Let Ama deal with her boy. I know what’ll cheer you up – let’s go break into the armoury!” Roo said eagerly.

  


  
“This the place? It looks like it.” Ama said as she and Steve entered a rather dank looking part of the building. They noticed a short, squat fellow at the other end of the corridor and made to chase him, only to be distracted by a pained groan from a nearby examination room. They peered in to see Bucky strapped to a gurney. “James! Oh, thank God you’re alive!” she cried, rushing over to unstrap him.

Bucky’s eyes opened and he grinned slightly when he saw her. “Amaryllis? I have no idea what that guy gave me, but I don’t even care. It’s good to see you again.” he murmured.

“You’re not daydreaming, Buck. We’re really here. We’re gonna get you out of here. We thought you were dead.” Steve explained, helping him stand.

“I thought _**you**_ were smaller. What happened to you?” Barnes wondered.

“Later. First, we need to get out of here. Steve, see that map on the wall? Grab it! It looks like it’s got the location of the other HYDRA bases on it!” Ama instructed, helping Bucky down the corridor with surprising speed.

  


“Ooh. There are a lot of them out there. Hang on, we need to think about this.” Maggie said nervously.

“Done thinking. _**EAT GRENADE, BITCH!**_ ” Eryn roared, lobbing explosives willy-nilly at the HYDRA soldiers.

“ _ **WHAT ARE YOU DOING, YOU LUNATIC?! YOU’RE JUST GOING TO BLOW EVERYTHING UP!”**_ Mags yelled at her over the explosions.

“I thought that’s what we were supposed to be doing?” Roo said, confused.

“NO, THAT’S WHAT **YOU** WANTED TO DO! DAMN IT, YOU ONLY CAME ON THIS MISSION BECAUSE YOU WANTED TO BLOW STUFF UP, DIDN’T YOU?!” Maggie bellowed, seizing her by the jacket and shaking her.

“WHO CARES?! Let’s get going already!” Eryn said irritably, clambering up the side of a tank and entering the hatch as chaos unfurled on the ground.

“Oh, I suppose we’d better get going too, or she’ll only get herself killed.” Maggie said with a deep sigh, leading the prisoners on.

The Frenchman managed to wrest one of the Tesseract guns from a HYDRA soldier.

“You know how to use that thing?” Morita asked uncertainly, as the weapon emitted a high-pitched whine. It fired suddenly, a beam of blue light speeding out and exploding violently on contact with a nearby wall.

“Easy, Dum-Dum! You’re gonna crush me if you don’t watch what you’re doing!” Roo scolded as one of the soldiers squeezed into the tank with her.

“I’m Tim, Tim Dugan. Nice to meet ya.” He said with a grin.

“That’s nice. I’m Roo. What’s your friend’s name?” she asked as another soldier dropped in with them.

“I’m Gabriel Jones, Miss.” He said happily.

“This ain’t exactly a Buick.” Tim said with a frown.

“That one!” Gabe said eagerly, pointing out a button.

“GET IT GOING, DUGAN!” Falsworth yelled, leaping into the tank with them.

“Ah, not another one!” Eryn complained.

“I didn’t know you spoke German!” Dugan said with a smile.

“Not much, switched to French, the girls were much cuter!” Gabe said cheerily.

Roo poked her head up and watched as Falsworth fired the weapon atop the tank. It blew up a nearby truck in a fiery, forceful explosion. “Holy crap, that’s awesome! We need another one of these! HEY, FRENCHY! MAGGIE! FRESNO! GET US ANOTHER TANK OR THREE!” she hollered.

Dugan cheered as more of the trucks went up in flames. “This is turning into a productive evening.” Maggie said, loading one of the bizarre weapons up before shooting at another truck.

  


An alarm sounded out across the base. “Uh-oh, looks like our friends went and caused a bit of a stir.” Ama said with a smile.

“Why, how many of you are there?” Bucky asked dubiously.

“Er…about four hundred, all told? We went to free the prisoners first ‘cause we thought you’d be with them. When they said you’d been taken here, my stomach dropped. We were really worried about you, James.” She said softly, grip on him tightening slightly.

“Hah. You don’t have to worry about me, Lis. I’m the tough one, remember?” he said with a weak smile.

“Idiot, that’s precisely _**why**_ I was worried! Don’t do that to me again.” she said quietly.

“Don’t worry, I’m not goin’ anywhere without you from now on.” he said faintly. There was a loud blast which shook the compound, followed by another, then a third.

“What the hell?! That wasn’t a grenade or a rocket launcher!” the medic yelped.

“Planted charges. It’s a failsafe, they must be trying to blow up the base. Come on!” Steve urged, leading them onwards to a maintenance bridge. To their surprise, three people were on the other side waiting for them.

“That man…! Steven, that’s Johann Schmidt!” Ama said angrily, glaring at the head of HYDRA.

“Captain America! How exciting, I’m a great fan of your films!” Schmidt called. Steve moved forward, only for Schmidt to hold a gun to the head of a clearly terrified, elderly man in a lab coat. “Stop! One more step, and I blow a hole in Doctor Quirke’s head!” he threatened.

Ama rolled her eyes, pulling out a pistol from her belt and shooting the scientist dead before any of them had time to react. “What the – did you just-?!” Steve choked out.

“You think I don’t know what my childhood friend’s grandfather looks like? That’s not Ethelbert Quirke. I’m not stupid enough to hope he’s still alive at this point, and even if he was, HYDRA would have him under lock and key somewhere. He’d be far too valuable to use as a hostage.” she said coolly.

“Ah, the voice of reason! It seems you have quite the talent for deduction, no? Riddle me this, Fräulein: what do you think happens to a man’s flesh when it comes into contact with condensed Tesseract energy?” Schmidt wondered, firing at Bucky suddenly.

“NO!” she cried, shoving Barnes out of the way. The bolt of blue light collided with her, but nothing happened. “W-what? I’m still here?” she asked feebly.

“What the hell?! I’ve seen guys get blown to _smithereens_ taking one of those!” Bucky murmured.

“I see…so our suspicions were correct, then. And where is my Scharfrichter? The one you stole from me?” Schmidt asked thoughtfully.

“She’s not _your_ anything. You can’t own a human being, though I’m not sure she still qualifies as one.” Ama said firmly.

“If you are beginning to doubt her humanity, you may wish to look to your own, Agent-” Schmidt’s retort was cut off when she shot at him, missing him only because he dodged out of the way at the last second.

“ **Shut the fuck up.** You’ll pay for what you’ve done. To Eryn, to Bucky, and to all the other poor souls you’ve stepped over to get here!” she said adamantly as a loud blast went off above them.

Steve stepped forward, he and Schmidt walking towards one another until they were within a foot of each other. “So Doctor Erskine succeeded again. Not exactly an improvement, but still…impressive.” Schmidt said conversationally. Steve responded by punching him hard in the face and ducking behind his shield. Schmidt threw a punch in return that left a frightening dent in the metal and forced him back a pace. The other man on the end of the bridge quickly pulled a lever, separating the two halves.

“No matter what lies Erskine told you, you see I was his greatest success!” Schmidt snapped, pulling free his mask to reveal a bright red, skull-like face underneath. Ama winced and clutched Bucky’s arm.

“ _ **You**_ don’t have one of those, do you?” Barnes asked uncertainly.

“You are deluded, Captain.” Schmidt said scathingly.

“And this place is _**on fire**_ **.** Can we _leave?_ ” Ama asked hopefully, as the pair of Nazis stepped into an elevator and out of sight.

“Did you see that box he was carrying? I think it had the Tesseract in it. Should we go after him?” Steve asked.

“Are you **crazy?!** We’ll be lucky to escape this with our lives, we haven’t got time to go chasing after relics!” she squawked.

“Okay…we can get across using that bit of scrap there. You two go first.” Steve said, helping Bucky and Ama over the railing and onto the bit of metal. They made their way unsteadily across, but the metal gave way and fell into the inferno below just as they reached the end, Bucky quickly pulling Ama to safety.

“There’s got to be a rope or something!” he called.

“Just go! Get out of here!” Steve shouted back.

“NO! NOT WITHOUT YOU!” Bucky yelled stubbornly.

Steve sighed, taking a running jump and landing safely on the other side of the bridge. “Not bad, Star Spangled Man. Let’s just get out of here, eh?” Ama said tiredly as they made their way outside, only to be greeted by the sight of an enormous tank just outside the building. The top popped open and a familiar helmet poked out.

“Hello! Where are we off to next, then?” Eryn asked excitedly.


	8. Running With The Wolves

An ATV pulled up alongside the tank, Maggie hanging out the side of it as Frenchy drove. “Hey! You found him! We were starting to think he’d been shipped off to the monster assembly line already!” she cackled, the soot on her face clashing brilliantly with her hair.

“What is _wrong_ with those two?” Bucky asked with a sigh.

“Oh, just…many things. Too many to list.” Ama said wearily.

“What are you waiting for? Use the transponder thingy and call Stark so we can get the hell out of here already!” Roo demanded.

“Only one problem with that…” Steve said sheepishly, lifting the broken machinery from his pocket.

“Aw, nuts. Are you _**serious?**_ We’ve got to go walking 30 miles through Nazi territory?” Mags gaped.

“You heard the Colonel, the area between here and the camp is some of the most heavily fortified ground in Europe! We’ve got wounded, and most of the boys are suffering with exhaustion and malnutrition. Steve, we’ll never make it.” Ama said fearfully.

“We have to try. What else can we do? Just sit here and wait for HYDRA to come to us? We’ve got to do our best to get the hell out of here before they send reinforcements!” Eryn argued.

“She’s right, we’ve got no other choice. I can’t even get so much as a radio signal here.” Maggie said with a frown.

“I’m actually right quite often, yet people are always surprised. Okay, then. Dum-Dum, Jones, Jack! Get your asses out of there! Get the wounded in the tanks!” Roo ordered, jumping down from the vehicle to reveal an array of HYDRA weapons strapped to her.

“You _sure_ about this? I mean, we can walk…” one of the injured soldiers said to her.

“Oh, get **over** yourselves! We’re not _schoolgirls_ , we’re trained spies! We’re perfectly capable of making the trek back. You, however, are _**not**_.” Maggie said angrily.

“What about this one?” Eryn asked, indicating Bucky.

“M’fine. I can walk.” He ground out.

“You’re sure? You look like _death._ ” She said honestly, brows furrowed.

“Oh I’m _sorry_ ; I didn’t have time to scrub up today. I mean it, I’m fine!” Bucky protested. They both looked at Ama. At the determined look on his face, she sighed.

“Alright, on your own head be it. If he says he’s fine, he’ll be okay.” She acquiesced.

“What’s with all the weapons, anyway? You planning an auction or something?” he wondered.

“Ah, these? I thought I might pick up some souvenirs for my buddy Howard on the way. It’s a good job I did, they’ll come in handy if we run into any Nazi blockades. Here, this looks about your size.” Roo reasoned, handing him an impressive rifle.

“Looks like you brought back a good haul of this Tesseract weaponry. Hopefully we can find a way to repel the energy from it or something. Hmm…we’ve still got a lot of wounded…we could do with nicking a couple of their armoured trucks.” Ama said thoughtfully.

“We tried, but we can’t get the doors open. They’re locked, but not like any locks we’ve ever seen.” Jim said seriously. Ama frowned slightly.

“We should probably stay off the major roadways, that’ll be where the Nazi forces are concentrated.” Dugan suggested.

“Oh, really? So how are we gonna get these tanks through 30 miles of dense forest, then?” Eryn asked, unimpressed.

“Alright, what do you suggest we do to get our asses outta here?” he huffed.

“ **Hello!** Am I the _only_ one who remembers the massive science fiction tanks we lifted from HYDRA? These things’ve got a range of what, 400 metres? You see any Nazi blockades, you shoot at them! _Light the bastards up!_ FALSWORTH, I WANT YOU ON THAT TURRET! GABE, YOU GET THE OTHER ONE!” she instructed.

There was a loud screeching, tearing noise and they all turned to see Ama holding one of the doors from an armoured truck and looking very sheepish. “Er…it opened?” she said with a nervous grin.

“ _ **YOU PULLED THE DOOR OFF?!”**_ Mags squawked, shocked.

“Those things are solid steel. Our biggest guys couldn’t scratch ‘em.” Dugan said, awed.

“No way. Ama, what happened with you guys? Did you find Schmidt?” Roo asked urgently.

“Yeah. He left before we could nab him, though. We were a little preoccupied with getting out alive.” the medic explained.

“And did he have the Tesseract with him?” Eryn asked.

“Yes, why?” Ama asked, becoming increasingly apprehensive as the conversation continued.

Bucky’s frown deepened. “Wait. Earlier…he shot at you, didn’t he? With that Tesseract pistol. You pushed me out of the way, and then…nothing happened. It was like -”

“Like she absorbed it?” Roo cut in.

“Yeah. Hey, how did you know that?” he asked suspiciously.

“Call it a hunch. Hey, Mags? Come over here for a second.” Eryn beckoned, waving her over.

“What? What’s the matter?” Maggie asked, freezing when Roo pressed a gun up against her forehead.

“Wait…what are you doing?” Steve asked, mouth going dry.

“Testing a theory.” Eryn said simply, pulling the trigger.

“ _ **DON’T!”**_ Rogers yelled.

The shot rang out and Magnolia recoiled in pain, clutching at the ring-shaped burn on her forehead.

“ **OUUUUUUCH!** THAT FUCKING HURT, YOU MORON! I COULD’VE DIED!” she roared, punching Roo so hard that she sailed through the trunk of a nearby tree.

“Holy shit.” Bucky said flatly.

“Someone mind explaining just what the hell is going on here?!” Gabe asked worriedly.

“Valkyries. Schmidt’s Valkyries. He said there were two more of them. I don’t think anybody ever expected it to be you guys.” Eryn mumbled as she hauled herself out of the dirt.

“I DON’T CARE ABOUT THAT! Is this gonna be _permanent?!_ ” Maggie snapped, indicating the burn.

“Wouldn’t think so. Looks like it’ll heal up in a day or two.” Ama said with a shrug.

“AND YOU! SHOW A LITTLE MORE CONCERN WHEN SOMEONE SHOOTS AT ME!” Mags shrieked.

“Why? I knew you’d survive.” the medic said simply.

“DON’T GIVE ME THAT! YOU DIDN’T KNOW SHIT!” Maggie screeched, pausing when Steve rushed over to examine her.

“Are you alright besides the burn? You’re not hurt anywhere else, are you?” he asked anxiously.

“I can shoot her in the legs if you wanna carry her home.” Roo offered.

“STOP, YOU! Enough with the shooting! New rule: Roo is banned from guns forever!” Mags said quickly.

“What? I’m just trying to help.” the scientist protested.

“In what kinda messed up world does that count as help?” Bucky asked, raising an eyebrow.

“Maybe we should take those guns off her. She’s a danger to herself just as much as everybody else.” Dugan pointed out.

Eryn raised the gun again, aiming at Fresno, who immediately put his hands up. “Come and take ‘em if you want ‘em.” she said threateningly.

“On second thought, she’s on our side for now so maybe we leave the weapons with her?” Morita said hastily. There was a murmur of assent and she lowered the gun.

“You’re _sure_ she’s on our side, right?” Barnes asked, not thoroughly convinced.

“Look, asshole! I wanna get home just as much as the rest of you, probably more! I got a girl waiting for me back at the base, so how about we stop with the shenanigans and get moving already?!” Roo said aggressively.

With that, the group moved out, starting the long, slow journey back to the Allied camp. The trip back was entirely uneventful for the first day, without a single blockade marring the way forward. “It’s so quiet… _too_ quiet. There’s gotta be a catch. There’s no way in hell the Nazis are just gonna let 400 men march outta Austria like it’s nothing.” Bucky reasoned.

“I agree. Something’s gotta be up. And I’ll bet you any money you like it’s something to do with HYDRA.” Ama mused, frowning slightly.

“This is gonna take **forever**. I wish we could just – I dunno, zap ourselves there or something!” Maggie complained.

“Well there you go then, Roo. Something for you and Stark to work on when you get back.” The redhead said mildly.

“What, teleportation? That’d be nice…just zooming to wherever you need to go in the blink of an eye. It’d save everyone so much time! Or at the very least, we could shave a couple miles off our journey. Maybe the Tesseract could power it.” Eryn said wistfully.

There was a sound like a distant crack of thunder, and a small point of blue fire appeared in the air in front of them. “What the hell is that?” Ama asked nervously.

“WILL-O-THE-WISP! Don’t follow it, it’ll lead us into a bog or something!” Mags yelped.

“No…I know this. I’ve seen it before.” Roo murmured, approaching the strange apparition.

“Eryn…” Ama said sternly.

“This isn’t HYDRA, Red. This is something else, something good.” she promised, reaching out and touching the dancing light.

At once it began to spread, forming a dome of nebulous glow that began to peel back slowly, revealing a forested clearing on the other side. “That’s crazy.” Maggie said hoarsely.

“I thought magic was supposed to be bullshit?” Bucky asked, head tilting.

“It’s not magic. It’s science. Although in a way, magic is simply science we haven’t invented yet.” Eryn mused, throwing a pebble into the clearing. She peered behind the opening and frowned deeply.

“That’s weird. It’s almost…two dimensional. Like a flat image. The stone didn’t go through.” she muttered, reaching forward again.

“Roo, don’t you dare! Touching it was bad enough! Let’s just – let’s just leave, please!” Ama said hastily.

Roo ignored her completely, reaching into the clearing and pulling a handful of pine needles from a tree on the other side. She pulled her fist back, opening her hand to reveal the fragrant little leaves sitting quite unharmed in her palm. “Look, it’s real. Not an image.” she said softly, handing the pine needles to Morita.

“She’s right. They’re no different from those of any other tree.” he agreed. Curious, Falsworth took one and examined it closely.

“How is something like this even possible?” he asked, squinting at the clearing.

“It’s probably not, right? I don’t know. You stop questioning these things after a while. Megalomaniac with a demon face wants to take over the world using the power of a magical space cube that predates humanity, but this is too much of a stretch?” Eryn asked.

“I think we’ve gone beyond the point of questioning the hows. It’s time we moved on to the whys.” Mags said seriously.

“Isn’t it obvious why? Roo did this.” Bucky said simply.

“What?! What are you accusing me of now?!” Eryn growled.

“Think about it, moron! Aren’t you supposed to be some kind of genius?! That thing only popped up _**AFTER**_ you mentioned how useful teleporting would be! Then it reacted when **you** touched it. I don’t get that feeling it would have done that for anyone else.” he shot back.

“But that’s impossible! I already know what my power is, and it’s not this!” she argued.

“Eryn, you told me and Stark there were some people in the Hades facility with incredible powers, far beyond believable. Is it really such a stretch to think this might be yours?” Ama asked gently.

“But…but it looks like the Tesseract.” Roo mumbled.

“Yeah, I was gonna ask about that. Schmidt’s been searching for these Valkyries – or rather, us – because he wanted them as part of his superpowered Scharfrichter army, right? But why go out of his way to find just three of us when there are hundreds of people out there born with powers already? And why did we only start developing these weird abilities after we came into contact with energy from the Tesseract itself? There’s clearly some kind of connection.” Maggie suggested.

“Well…yeah, but what?” Eryn asked, sounding defeated. Mags gave a snort.

“Hell if I know! You’re the scientist – _you_ figure it out. Meanwhile, I’m gonna see if this thing’s stable.” she said breezily, clapping Roo on the shoulder as she passed.

“Be careful.” Steve said apprehensively.

“It’ll be fine, stop worrying.” she said confidently, taking a running leap through the portal and stopping to look around. “Whoa. Guys, this is crazy! I’m in a totally different part of the forest! Hey, I know this place! We’re not that far from camp! Come on!” she encouraged.

“How are we gonna get the vehicles through?” Gabe wondered. The portal widened suddenly, making them all jump.

“W-will that do?” Eryn asked tentatively.

“Hey, cool! Not bad, kid.” Bucky complimented, leading the rest of the men into the portal.

“Hm. He’s not so bad.” Roo acquiesced as she and Ama brought up the rear.

“You’re only saying that because he called you a genius. And _he’s_ only saying that because he doesn’t know you very well yet.” the medic teased. As soon as everyone was through, the portal closed, leaving behind a wisp of cloud-like energy that wended between Eryn’s fingers for a moment before disappearing.

 

The march back into camp was slow, but the escapees were bolstered by the cheers and applause of their campmates as they trekked in. Phillips was there to meet them, as was Peggy. Steve saluted them as the procession ground to a halt. “Some of these men need medical attention. I’d like to surrender myself for disciplinary action.” He said stoically.

“That won’t be necessary.” Phillips said with a very faint smile.

“Oh, good! Has anyone seen Stark anywhere? I need to talk to him like, now!” Roo piped up.

“Okay fellas – let’s get the wounded to the medical tents! Worst go first as always, follow me!” Ama commanded, taking a section of the troops with her.

“ **HEY!** Let’s hear it for Captain America!” Bucky yelled, leading the rest of the escapees n a raucous round of applause. Despite the atmosphere, his face fell, something which did not go unnoticed by Maggie. As the group disbanded to eat and clean themselves up, she caught up to him.

“Hey, Bucky. Why so glum?” she asked breezily.

“I’m not _glum_.” He said with a scowl. She raised an eyebrow.

“Okay, maybe a little bit.” He admitted.

“Come on, then. What’s wrong?” she asked kindly.

“It’s-it’s _**Steve**_. I mean…all these years, I’ve been protecting him. Looking after him. He’s like a little brother to me. Now…he doesn’t need me. He saved my bacon this time. He’s bigger than I am, stronger than I am. He doesn’t need me anymore.” Bucky said quietly.

“Are you _**stupid?!**_ Bucky, he’s _always_ gonna need you. More than that, he’s always gonna **want** you by his side! You’re right, you two _are_ like brothers – and like brothers, you love each other very dearly. You’re not the only one to have an epiphany like that, and I _know_ it’s hard. It was difficult for me too, figuring out Ama was strong enough to stand on her own two feet. She didn’t need me to pull her up any more. But we’re still stronger when we stand together than we are alone. It’s the same with you and Steve. You forget, I’m an older sibling too. Might only be by a couple of minutes, but it’s still the duty of the oldest child to protect the ones who come after. Now, you might not be his brother by blood, but your bond is just as strong. Maybe even more so.” Maggie said seriously.

“Mags. Promise me something.” Bucky said quietly.

“What am I promising?” she asked dubiously.

“Promise me that if something happens…for whatever reason, if I can’t do it, promise me you’ll protect Steven.” He said adamantly.

“Only if _ **you**_ promise to do the same thing for Amaryllis.” She countered.

“Deal.” He said with a grin, holding a hand out to her. She shook it, grinning back.

“You know, you’re kind of like a big brother to me, too. You will be, once you finally stop dallying around and ask Ama to marry you.” She said conversationally.

“You _ **know**_ why I can’t do that. I won’t break her heart like that, Mags. If we make it to the end of the war, then sure. But not before then. I won’t promise to marry her and then **die** and leave her behind. Besides, she might fall for someone else. You never know.” He added with a shrug.

“Fuck off! Bucky, she hasn’t so much as _looked_ at another man since the day she met you! And I really don’t think she will, not the way she looks at you. You know…when she heard about that isolation ward, she went straight there. Even though she **knew** nobody came back from it, and there’d be tons of HYDRA guys there, she went, with only a pistol to defend herself. All she could think about was getting to you.” She said warmly.

Bucky smiled at that, and his whole demeanour seemed to soften. “I’m a lucky guy.” He said simply.

“Yes, you are. And if you **ever** forget that _or_ make my sister cry, I won’t forgive you. I’ll hunt you down and kick your ass. Then I’ll set Roo on you.” Maggie threatened playfully.

“I’d never forgive myself if I made her cry. I just want her to be happy.” He said easily.

“And she’s happier with you now than I’ve seen her in _ages_. You’ve been back for what, a day? And she’s smiled more in those 24 hours than she has in the past 4 months. Some people just _belong_ together, you know. Like two halves of the same person. I think that’s you and her.” She said casually.

“Or you and Steve. I swear, he looks at you like you’re made of diamonds or something. I don’t think you could be more precious to him even if you _were._ ” He said sincerely.

“ **JAMES BUCHANAN BARNES!** Where the _**hell**_ do you think you’re wandering off to, hmm?! You’re still wounded, you idiot! Get your ass back here!” Ama yelled over the crowd, storming towards them.

“Hey, doll. How’s it going?” he greeted, flashing her a fond smile.

“Don’t you ‘hey, doll’ me, you stupid idiot! Medical tent, **now!** ” she said sternly.

“Yes ma’am. You know, I like this assertive side of you.” He teased. The redhead blushed furiously, stuttering.

“S-shut up! Get your ass in that tent before I put a bullet in it!” she chided, marching him off.


	9. Where Gods Fear To Tread

“What do we got here, Stark?” Phillips barked.

“Well, sir…I don’t know. She turned herself in for testing as soon as she got back, and I’ve been compiling a list of interviews with the ex-prisoners about what they saw. They all match up, this wasn’t any mass hallucination or a daydream, it really happened. I’ve been monitoring her since she got back, and the amount of energy she gives off just keeps growing by the second. It’s almost like a maturation period, where her abilities are manifesting themselves and growing. Either way, if my calculations are correct, which they most likely _**are**_ , we’re in a whole lotta trouble.” Stark said with a frown.

“Why?” Maggie asked.

“The Tesseract is an unlimited energy source. **Unlimited**. What Eryn does is act as a conduit for that energy. She channels it, shapes it, controls it to a certain degree. Her powers are really not that complex – she can distort or bend space between two or more points to create a portal. But there are limits. Each portal needs at least one startpoint and at least one endpoint. She can manipulate it so a portal has multiple start or endpoints, but while you can have a portal that’s just a startpoint, you can’t have one that is solely an endpoint.” He began.

“Okay, so what’s the catch?” Maggie asked.

“Think of it like two spheres, one inside the other. The outer sphere is about 17 miles in radius, extending around her through all spatial dimensions. That’s her endpoint reach, and it’s growing as her powers mature. But the startpoint range is much shorter – only about 200 metres in radius. She doesn’t seem to be able to make startpoints outside that range for some reason. And that range is neither growing nor shrinking. It’s possible that’s as far as her startpoint range can get on its own.” Howard explained.

“What about her endpoint range?” Phillips prompted.

“I think that’s just gonna keep on growing until she can send things just about anywhere. That’s where the Tesseract comes in. Schmidt’s plan – or at least, what I _**think**_ is his plan – is to use her as a conduit for the Tesseract’s power. Plugging her in to an unlimited energy source would give her the power to send entire armies anywhere in the entire world. Schmidt’s forces could take over the planet in a matter of **hours.** ” Stark said gravely.

“So he was gonna use her as a teleporter, to zap his armies across the globe?” the Colonel asked.

“It doesn’t end there. Unlimited energy is unlimited energy. She doesn’t have to stop at _Earth_ – she could send his forces literally anywhere in the universe using that stone. She could fling a planet into the sun if she felt like it without even breaking a sweat. This is a power only Gods should have.” Howard said worriedly.

“You seem pretty _concerned_ about all of this. Is she gonna be okay?” Ama asked.

“I don’t know.” He replied simply.

“What’s with that gloomy talk? It’s _**Roo**_ , ain’t it? She’ll be fine.” Maggie said confidently, punching Stark’s shoulder.

“The problem isn’t technically her – it’s Schmidt. He wants her back, and he’s not gonna stop until he gets what he wants. And now there’s the two of you to consider. Schmidt wasn’t willing to give up one Valkyrie – he sure as hell ain’t gonna let another two just waltz around with Allied forces.” Phillips mused.

“Eryn’s the only one who knows anything about HYDRA and the Tesseract and all that other stuff. We can’t afford to lose her.” Howard said quietly. Ama squeezed his other shoulder slightly.

“I know.” She said softly.

“Can I come out and do some science now? It’s boring in here.” Eryn complained loudly from the observation room, startling them all. Mags looked at the Colonel expectantly.

“Alright, fine. She’s free to do as she pleases, within reason. No more running off into HYDRA territory chasing pipe dreams of saving lost soldiers!” Phillips said sternly.

“All due respect, sir – I don’t think it’s _soldiers_ she’s after.” Mags called after him.

“What do you mean? You think she has something else in the works?” Ama asked.

“You mean besides ripping HYDRA to shreds? Yeah, I think she’s probably been working on a plan to get into this Hades place since we got her back. Especially now we know HYDRA has been shipping prisoners out to it every month or so. That’s why Barnes was in the isolation ward – they were gonna send him off too. You should probably check up on him.” Maggie suggested.

“Why? He seemed fine earlier.” Stark interjected.

“Yeah, for now. Eryn said that only powered people got sent to Hades. The ones HYDRA call Varianten. If that’s the case, they must have created some kind of test that can tell a superhuman from an ordinary one.” she said thoughtfully, pacing the observation area. She stopped suddenly, eyes widening.

“What?” Ama prompted.

“Blood. It’s in our blood. Abraham said it before – that there was something in our blood that he believed set us apart, made us special…maybe even helped us survive the program. Start there. After that…I don’t know.” Mags finished lamely.

The medic nodded. “I’ll get some bloodwork done right away. I’ll get the rest of the boys too – we don’t know how many of them were on that list. I’ll test it against our blood and Eryn’s. There must be some correlation, after all.” Ama agreed, rushing out of the lab.

“I’ll be in engineering if anyone needs me. What are you gonna do?” Howard asked, stopping at the doorway and turning back to Maggie.

“I think I’m gonna have a talk with Bluebell. She looks like she needs someone to yell at, anyway. There’s probably…a million and one things running through her head right now. Mine, too. It’s about time the two of us had a heart to heart, at any rate.” Mags said softly, giving him a small smile as he left. The smile slid off her face the second the door closed, and she took a deep breath before entering the observation cell.

“What’s with that face? You get a cool new superpower and all you can do is _mope?_ ” she asked, hands on hips and a grin on her face that quickly faded when she noticed the other agent’s shaking.

“Power? Is that what you’d call this? You think it’s a good thing just because it helped us out once. But Schmidt…somehow he already knew about this. He’s going to redouble his efforts to get me back. He’ll destroy everything to get to me. Nothing can stop that now.” Roo said fearfully.

“ **We** can. And we will. If that asshole thinks he’s getting you back without a fight, he’s got another thing coming. You forget – Ama and I are these Valkyries too. Who’s to say we won’t develop abilities even stronger than yours? And it’s not like you’d just roll over and let him steal you away again. You’d fight back with everything you had, as would we.” Maggie bolstered.

“That’s not enough.” Eryn said dully.

“Eryn, he’s not _all-powerful!_ No matter how much he wishes that was the case, he’s not a god!” she pointed out.

“Neither are we. We can’t…we can’t let these powers or whatever get to our heads. They won’t make us invincible. And they could be dangerous if we use them wrongly. We’ve all seen what the Tesseract is capable of in HYDRA’s hands. There’s no guarantee I’m any less dangerous.” Roo said simply.

Mags sighed, sitting next to her. “Alright. What is it? Something’s bothering you to the point where it’s eating you up from the inside. Don’t act like I can’t tell! Ama and I know you better than you know your damn self! Is it really so bad that you can’t tell me?” she asked quietly.

Roo sighed too. “Hades. I can’t stop thinking about it…there are still so many people trapped there, behind enemy lines. HYDRA is torturing them as we speak, hoping one of them will become the next Scharfrichter…the next _**me**_. We can’t just sit around and wait for Hades II to fall like the first one did!” she hissed.

“Wait, there’re two Hades facilities?” Maggie asked, confused.

Eryn shook her head. “No. There’s only ever been one at a time. But the first one was destroyed. HYDRA dabbled in something they shouldn’t have and brought forth a monster. I don’t remember much of the incident, but the survivors spoke of the creature with fear. They said it fed off sentience itself. I don’t know how much of that is true, but I do know that the demon they birthed in that awful place ripped it’s way through the security forces like it was nothing. It went on an unstoppable rampage, and we were sure we’d all be killed. Nothing could stand up against it, not even Schmidt’s war machines. But then something incredible happened. Something you wouldn’t believe.” she murmured, voice barely above a whisper.

“Try me.” Mags said adamantly.

“An angel appeared. Sent from the heavens to protect us by the gods. For the first time ever, someone was batting our corner. The monster was no match for the heavenly guardian, and ran off who knows where. We certainly never heard anything more of it again. As soon as it had appeared, the angel vanished. Taken back up into the sky, probably. But it left an impression. Suddenly, we weren’t alone anymore. There was someone, somewhere watching out for us. It emboldened us, and we attacked HYDRA with everything we had. It wasn’t enough. They rounded us up, killed or captured whatever they could and salvaged as much technology as possible. Then they built Hades II, which was ten times the size and double the guard. That’s where everyone is being held now.” Roo explained.

“Really? How many people have been through this Hades place?” Maggie wondered.

“Put it this way, by the time I was marched through Hades’ doors, there was only one surviving subject with a number below the four digit mark. The rest are dead or turned. I don’t know which.” Eryn said bitterly.

“Turned? Into what? Monsters, like that other thing?” Mags pressed.

“I don’t know enough to say for certain. But I can’t just leave the rest of them to their fate. HYDRA’s not infallible. And if we could somehow spring Hades II, we’d eradicate the Scharfrichter program for good, and possibly gain some powerful allies in the process. Besides, they’re keeping an old friend of mine locked down in one of the high security cells. At the very least, I owe it to the lanky bastard to turn him loose.” Roo said with a snort.

“What about your grandfather? If you start kicking ass and taking names, Schmidt’s gonna have him executed.” Maggie said worriedly.

“If he hasn’t already. I know Schmidt’s play – use my grandfather as bait to get me to either go back with him or stop whatever I’m doing that inconveniences HYDRA. He already got me with that once, the same threat won’t work twice. The old man knows how the game works; I seriously doubt he’d blame me if Schmidt **did** shoot him. But more importantly, I doubt HYDRA kept the old fart around simply to use against me. He’s a brilliant engineer, they must be using him for something. I don’t know what, but it probably ain’t good. I don’t suppose we’ll ever see each other again. I gave up hope of getting him back a long time ago. I have to focus on the people we can still save…like the thousands of Varianten held captive on the edges of German occupied territory.” Eryn said firmly.

  


“What’s the blood for? Am I sick?” Bucky asked nervously, casting a doubtful eye over the numerous vials of blood Ama had sitting pretty on a small wheeled medical table.

“Not as far as I’m aware. I’m running a check for any infections just in case, but this is simply for personal reasons.” Amaryllis said mildly as she loaded the tubes into a centrifuge. The machine made a cacophonous noise as it whirred to life, spinning the samples at high speed. Almost as soon as it had started, it stopped.

“What kind of personal reasons could you have for whirling my blood around in a metal box?” Barnes asked, concerned.

“Oh, it’s not for my benefit – purely for yours.” the medic said unhelpfully, which did little to settle Bucky’s nerves as she opened the centrifuge and took one of the samples out. It had separated neatly into it’s constituents, which she examined carefully. “An unusually high amount of erythrocytes, but that’s not necessarily a bad thing. At the very least, it’ll help you metabolise oxygen quicker. Buffy coat layer appears normal, so you’re in the clear infection wise, plasma also looks fine…hang on. What’s this stuff at the top?” she muttered, holding the tube up to the light. Above the plasma layer was a fraction of clear liquid that shimmered oddly when it caught the light.

“What the hell is that?” he asked apprehensively.

“I’ve no idea. It’s pretty, but I’ve never heard of anyone living with an unidentifiable iridescent substance in their blood. Is this what Zola was using as an identifying marker?” Ama mused.

“Marker for what? You’re staring to freak me out a little, here.” Bucky admitted.

“Variance. This must be the by-product of whatever gives a Variant their powers.” she added.

“Var-?! No way. Ama, come on. Stop joking around. I mean I know you and Mags and Eryn are superhumans or whatever, but I’m just – I’m just _me_ , y’know? I don’t have any powers or weird abilities or anything like that.” he protested, half-laughing.

“Neither did we until very recently. Bucky, this is serious. Zola targeted you specifically for a reason. I believe _this_ is that reason. You were on the shortlist to get shipped out to Hades. The plan was to turn you into a Scharfrichter, that’s why Zola kept you in one of the outer labs away from the other prisoners. He wanted to save your strength for whatever messed-up wacky science he and Reinhardt use to make living weapons.” she explained, frowning deeply.

His face fell. “Holy shit. Holy shit, this is for real. I’m – what, a-a mutant?” he asked hoarsely, mouth going dry.

“Hmm. I wouldn’t consider it a _mutation_ , per se.” she said thoughtfully, swishing the vial gently and marvelling at the way the light refracted through the mystery layer.

“Then _what?_ Is it curable?” he asked weakly.

“Curable?” she repeated, turning to him with an even deeper frown. “Bucky, you’re not sick. This isn’t an illness, it’s a gift.” she corrected.

“Did Eryn tell you that? Only, it seems like her ‘gift’ ended up causing her nothing but trouble. Schmidt targeted her ‘cause he believed in this Valkyrie thing and wanted her powers for himself.” he said sourly.

“This isn’t like that. She struggled to come to terms with her powers too, you know. The other Variants locked up in Hades helped her accept herself for who she really was. Maybe if we could free them, they could help you in the same way.” she suggested, shrugging.

“Yeah, if they don’t mistake us all for humans and kill us first. We’re talking about people who were hunted down and imprisoned just because they’re different. They haven’t got any personal connections with us, I don’t think they’re gonna be quite as forgiving as Eryn was.” he reminded her.

“All the more reason to help them. If it’s a group of strangers that sets them free, most of them human, surely that’ll go some way to helping heal the rift between us? They’ll understand that humanity as a whole isn’t like that, and just as there are bad humans, there are kind ones too.” Ama said warmly, kissing him on the cheek as she packed her equipment up.

“Y’know, there’s such a thing as being too optimistic. And Phillips isn’t gonna risk his men to rescue a bunch of homicidally-inclined super-freaks.” he said dubiously.

“I know. That’s why we don’t intend to involve Colonel Phillips or any of the soldiers should we come up with a plan to liberate Hades. It’d be up to us alone.” she said mildly.

“Hey, you better be including me in that. If something stupid’s going down, I want in.” he said quickly.

“Naturally. Always watching my back, aren’t you?” she said with a smile.

“Well. One particular area of it, yeah.” he said slyly, grinning when she slapped him on the arm.

  


“Howie, are you sure about this?” Roo asked nervously, eyeing the little piece of Tesseract weaponry with suspicion.

“C’mon, darlin’. It’s just a little thing, what harm can it do? Besides, it’s behind the glass. We’re just taking a little look at it.” Stark soothed, moving the mechanical arms with a practised ease as he carefully picked the glowing granule up. “Emission signature is unusual. Alpha/Beta ray neutral. Though I doubt Rogers picked up on that.” He muttered.

“I think he was a little preoccupied beating up HYDRA. Seriously, be careful with that thing.” she warned.

“It seems harmless enough…hard to see what all the fuss is about.” he murmured, moving the other arm closer.

There was a loud bang as the window blew out, knocking them all off their feet.

“Write that down!” Howard said dazedly, sitting up with some difficulty. He shook his head, willing the stars away from behind his eyes as he hauled himself up, leaning heavily on one of the lab benches and wincing. Something in his back protested at the movement, but he ignored it in favour of peering blearily around the lab for his fellow scientists.

Gordon had hit the wall and slid down, mercifully unharmed but for the shards of glass in his palms. Anderson had been far enough away that he’d avoided the blast aside from a small nick of flying glass against his cheek. Eryn had hit a desk so hard she’d flipped over it and landed in the space between two lab benches, one of her legs in the air.

“Ouch…” she said feebly.

“Yeah, you said it.” Gordon groused as Anderson helped him to his feet.

“It really hurts.” Roo mumbled.

“It will do, you slammed into that desk pretty damn hard. You’re lucky you didn’t land on your head.” Stark ground out, attempting to limp to the other desk and pausing at the renewed protest from his back.

“Sir? I think she’s actually _hurt._ ” Anderson said worriedly, absent-mindedly wiping at the gouge on his face and inadvertently smearing blood across his cheek and over the sleeve of his labcoat.

“I’m getting there. You’re okay, right Eryn? WHOA!” Howard’s journey across the room was cut short when he slipped in something, skidding a full foot before he could seize the bench and pull himself up again.

The smudge his shoe left behind was crimson.

“What the…is that blood?! Hey, Eryn!” he said urgently, vaulting over the table to get to her.

“My face hurts.” she said faintly, blood seeping from between the trembling fingers she’d clasped over the wound on her eye.

“Shit! GET A MEDIC DOWN HERE, NOW! FIND FAULKNER!” Stark bellowed, and Anderson sat Gordon down on one of the benches before thundering down the corridor for help.

“It looks pretty bad. What do we do?” Gordon asked.

“You don’t do a goddamn thing! Last thing we need is you getting hurt worse!” Howard snapped, ripping the pocket off his lab coat and dabbing vainly at the agent’s face as she squirmed and tried to slap his hands away.

  


“See? I told you, they’re all idiots.” Bucky said with a grin, taking a swig from his glass.

“How about you? You ready to follow Captain America into the jaws of death?” Steve wondered.

“Hell no. That little guy from Brooklyn who was too dumb to run away from a fight…I’m following _**him.**_ But you’re keeping the outfit, right?” He asked cheekily.

“Y’know what? It’s kinda growing on me.” Steve said thoughtfully.

“Good. I think it’s growing on Maggie, too.” Ama replied sneakily as she appeared from the bar, wearing a pretty black and white dress. Bucky whistled.

“Going somewhere?” he asked.

“Well, Mags, Peggy and I wanted to get some dancing in, but it seems our favourite dance hall’s been bombed. Damned Blitz. Still, it’s not a total loss. How do I look?” she asked, spinning on the spot.

“You look – you look great.” Barnes stuttered, glaring at Steve when the supersoldier snorted into his drink. “Oh yeah, like you’d do any better if Mags showed up!” he scoffed.

Maggie appeared in the doorway, clad in a pink knitted dress. “Hm? Someone say my name?” she asked curiously, head tilting.

“Oh. Hey. You look nice.” Steve bumbled, elbowing Bucky hard in the ribs when he raised an eyebrow and smirked.

“Thanks. It’s a shame about the dance hall, but I don’t want to feel like I dressed up for nothing. Wanna catch a few drinks?” Mags offered.

“Yeah. Yes, absolutely.” he said quickly, stumbling in his haste to accompany her.

Bucky shook his head as he watched them go, grinning. “Cute. He’s such a goddamn mess around her.” he said with a snort.

“Like I am around you, you mean?” Ama muttered, going crimson when he laced his fingers through hers.

“Not complaining. It’s a bit of an ego boost having a beautiful, talented girl like you hanging on my every word. Lotta guys don’t get that lucky.” Barnes said gently, resting his forehead against hers.

Ama’s smile faltered when she noticed the singing at the bar had trailed off. A wild-eyed man in a labcoat skidded into the room, blood on his face and hands. “Agent Faulkner! There’s been an incident in the lab!” Anderson gasped out.


	10. Accidents Will Happen

“You, dumbass, are one of the luckiest little shits on God’s good green Earth.” Ama said sternly as she carefully extricated the glass shard from Eryn’s eye socket.

“Sure as hell doesn’t _feel_ it, Red.” Roo grunted.

“Well, it should. A two-inch shard of glass rockets into your face at twice the velocity of a speeding bullet, and not only are you _still alive_ , but the shard misses your eyeball by millimetres and did no more harm than severing a few blood vessels. Why the hell weren’t any of you idiots wearing goggles?!” the medic huffed.

“Not enough to go around. We figured the chemistry guys needed ‘em more than we did.” Howard said with a shrug.

“Don’t talk! No more words from you, not for the next twenty-four hours at least! You are aware that this whole situation is entirely your fault?” the redhead said coolly, gently wiping blood and fluid away from Eryn’s eye. Stark nodded, the anxious knot in his chest loosening slightly when his lab partner blinked experimentally.

“Hm. Seems to be working just fine. Thanks for the fix, Doc. Phew! That was scary, let’s not do it again.” Roo said happily, turning to leave.

“NOT SO FAST, YOU! There’s a twenty-eight page booklet on accidents in the workplace I need you to fill out so we can report this to Phillips! And I’m keeping you in for observation until I’m satisfied there’s no lasting damage!” Ama said firmly, seizing her by the shoulder and ignoring her whine of protest.

  


“All’s well that ends well, I guess. At least Eryn’s still alive.” Steve said with a sigh, watching sparrows argue over crumbs as he and Mags made their way out of the medical building and into the green belt surrounding it.

“Yeah. Howard’s really done it this time, though. If Ama yells at you, you know it’s not so bad and she’ll cool off in a couple of hours. But when she gets all cold like that? **That’s** when you know you’ve fucked up and she’s really, genuinely furious with you. This whole situation could’ve been avoided, and I think that’s what she’s really upset with. Everyone in that lab could’ve died.” Mags said with a frown, sitting on the nearest bench and taking a small flask from inside her jacket. She opened it and took a swig before offering it to Steve as he sat beside her.

“You know I can’t get drunk, right?” He reminded her, raising an eyebrow.

“Sometimes it’s not about getting drunk. We only just got the Howling Commandos together, we don’t need them getting blown to bits by a goddamn science project.” she said glumly. The supersoldier frowned, taking a swig from the flask for good measure.

“I don’t get it. It’s not like Stark doesn’t have the money to order in new goggles. Seems like a small price to pay for keeping everybody safe.” he said thoughtfully.

Mags gave a snort. “You don’t know him very well. Howard Stark is the kinda guy who’ll cut corners wherever he can. It just so happens that innocent people got caught up in it this time. He’ll probably rethink his strategy, and then in a few weeks’ time when everything calms down a little, he’ll go right back to doing the same exact thing all over again. That’s just how he operates. You know, part of the reason Ama and I left the Secret Service and joined the SSR in the first place was because we were surrounded by people like that. People who wouldn’t take responsibility for their own actions, no matter how many bodies they left behind. But Abraham was different. When his experiments failed, he was the first to try and set things right. And when he couldn’t, Red and I stepped in. Knowing the SSR had someone who would not only **own** his mistakes, but do his damndest to fix them…it was the final push we needed to sign up for real. We owe him a hell of a lot.” she said quietly.

“You and me both. I mean, the super serum was one thing, but meeting you guys, getting Bucky back…none of that would’ve happened if he hadn’t given you the final pick. I owe him for giving me a chance, and I owe you for believing in me when nobody else would. Thank you.” he said humbly, and she blushed.

“What’re you thanking me for?” she asked, nonplussed.

“For having faith. In me…and Doctor Erskine.” he said with a warm, genuine smile that made her flush even further.

“Faith was never the issue. I knew you’d make it through okay. Because of this.” she said gently, resting a palm on his chest.

Steve raised an eyebrow. “My left pectoral?”

“NO, TWIT! Your _**heart!**_ I knew you’d be fine because you had heart! All those things you said…about not wanting to kill anyone, about protecting those who need it most…I knew then that we’d found exactly what we were looking for.” she said warmly.

“Someone to become the hero you needed.” he finished quietly, frowning when she shook her head.

“You already were. We just made your body tough enough to keep up with what your heart already had.” she said happily, breaking out into a luminous grin.

  


Ama stared down into the sink as she washed her hands thoroughly, watching the crimson of the waste water slowly fade to pink, then finally run clear down the drain. The image was so familiar, so ingrained that it hadn’t bothered her in years.

“ _Amaryllis! RUN!”_

She shook the familiar voice out of her head, clenching her fists so tightly that her nails began to cut into her palms.

“Don’t do that. You’re short on gloves as it is.” someone chastised from the doorway, startling her.

Bucky leant against the door frame, giving her a look of appraisal that she didn’t quite appreciate.

“What are you doing here? Shouldn’t you be out getting drunk or something?” she asked wearily.

“Not much point when my best girl’s here. What’s eating you, anyway? And don’t say ‘nothing’, ‘cause I just watched you wash your hands for ten minutes straight.” he pointed out.

Ama sighed deeply as she stripped off her white coat, hanging it neatly over a rail to be washed. “It’s Hades.” she admitted, suddenly becoming very interested in the table.

“Hades? The place the Scharfrichters come from?” he asked, surprised.

“Yeah. I’ve seen what they can do up close. Even one of them could wipe out an army. Mags and I were almost killed by those things tons of times in the past! If Schmidt’s really planning on building an army of them…we should focus fire on there first. No Variants, no Scharfrichters. It’s that simple. That’s my goal – to end the Scharfrichter threat. And this is our best shot at doing it. With one on our side and the other too uncooperative for Schmidt to use, we should be aiming for Hades first, not this bunk research facility the Colonel wants to send us off to!” she said seriously.

“I like it when you get all assertive like this. Suits you.” Bucky said with a grin which widened when she glared half-heartedly at him. “Don’t beat yourself up about it, Red. We all want the same thing, right? To see the back of HYDRA. The Colonel just has different ideas on how to get there. C’mon, let’s go suit up.” he bolstered, offering her his arm and leading her out of the medical ward and into the fresh air.

  


“So what did you get from the Colonel’s briefing?” Mags called over the roar of the plane’s engines as they soared high above a forested region of Eastern Europe.

“Blah blah Tesseract, blah, Nazis, blah, HYDRA, blah blah blah: DISMISSED! GO GET ‘EM!” Roo said with a shrug.

“So you didn’t actually listen to the briefing at all, is what you’re saying.” Ama said irritably.

“Yes! Hey, don’t give me that look! It’s hard to pay attention when one of Peggy’s stockings is halfway down her leg!” Eryn blustered. Bucky leaned over to smack her on the head with a rolled up newspaper.

“Useless lavender girl.” he muttered, pulling a face when she stuck her tongue out at him.

“Now, now, children.” Falsworth said calmly. “Luckily, I _was_ listening at the briefing, so I’ll explain. We’ve been receiving reports from our reconnaissance teams in the area of bizarre energy surges – something completely unnatural and possibly quite dangerous. This likely means Tesseract technology is involved, possibly some form of power source or battery. Our job is to go in and steal whatever this energy source is. Oh, and kill as many HYDRA soldiers as humanly possible. That too.” he explained.

“I like that plan.” Gabe and Maggie said in unison.

“We’ll split off into teams. Eryn, Ama, Buck – you’re on backup. I know Stark outfitted you with some new weaponry, so show HYDRA what you got. The rest of us’ll split into two teams – Mags, Falsworth, and Gabriel are with me. We’ll go in the front door, raise as much hell as we can to take the heat off the secondary team, composed of Dugan, Morita and Dernier, who’ll sneak in the side entrance and blow up the vehicle bay. While all this is going on, Team Backup will be picking off as many soldiers as they can in the commotion. By splitting their forces in two, we can hit them in a pincer attack and trap ‘em between a group of the Allies’s most accomplished soldiers and the heaviest weaponry the SSR has ever cooked up. Once the ash settles, we’ll go in after this power source of theirs and walk out HYDRA-free and up one battery.” Steve informed them.

“Everybody shoots, everybody scores, everybody wins.” Bucky said breezily.

“‘Cept HYDRA, of course.” Dum-Dum said cheerfully as he loaded his shotgun.

“How’re we getting in? Chutes?” Fresno wondered.

“Nope! I’m zapping you in there!” Roo said brightly.

“Suddenly I’m a lot less enthusiastic.” Dugan said flatly.

“Shut up! My aim’s gotten a lot better!” she protested.

“Didn’t you portal Stark into a tree by accident yesterday?” Steve asked conversationally.

“That wasn’t an accident. I just pretended it was so the Colonel wouldn’t yell at me. Besides, Howie deserved it for almost blowing us all up the other day.” Eryn said bluntly.

“WHAT DO YOU MEAN ‘it wasn’t an accident’?! You threw me into the tree _**on purpose?!**_ ” Howard shouted from the cockpit.

“Oh. I forgot you were flying. That’s annoying.” she said mildly.

“HEY! Don’t just blow me off like that!” he puffed, incensed.

“You mean like you almost did to half her face?” Ama asked coldly. There was a ringing silence that continued until the plane was above the drop zone.

“Okay, drop-bears! Time to go! Do me a favour and hang on to your lunch!” Roo cackled as she opened a portal beneath them that dropped all the Howling Commandos into an irate pile in the middle of the forest.

“Dammit, Eryn! Couldn’t you at least have spread us out a bit?!” Mags puffed as she hauled herself out from underneath Dugan.

“But it’s a dog pile! It’s supposed to be fun!” the scientist protested.

“Oh, yeah? Well if it’s so fun, how come _you’re_ the only one who didn’t end up in it?!” Bucky demanded, half-dragging Ama out from somewhere between Falsworth and Morita.

“I’ve had enough ouch this week.” Roo said mildly, unslinging an impressive silver anti-tank rifle and loading it carefully.

“You’re cruising for a hell of a lot _**more**_ ouch if I get my way.” Maggie muttered under her breath as she helped Steve to his feet.

Grumbling, the Howling Commandos split into their respective groups and headed off towards the nearby compound. “This is yours?” Bucky asked, admiring Eryn’s rifle.

“Yup. Your girlfriend is the one with the rocket launcher, I just bring the bombs and take out the tanks. I made a few modifications to that gun I gave you – hope you don’t mind.” She said casually.

“As long as it works. You remember what our orders are?” he asked.

“I remember what _my_ orders are. Me and you, we gotta look out for Ama. She and Fresno are the only field medics we got, if something goes wrong, they’re the only response we’re gonna get out there. I know I can rely on you for this, but you gotta understand the gravity of the situation. This isn’t a weapons factory, we’re dropping in on an actual army base. This is gonna get **ugly**.” she warned.

“Why, you think Schmidt’s here or something?” Ama asked, grinning.

“Oh hell, I hope not! We’re gonna have enough trouble navigating these woods as it is. This place is a sniper’s haven…we’ve really gotta be careful.” Roo said nervously.

“It’ll be fine, quit worrying. Look, there’s a clearing up ahead.” Bucky bolstered, leading the backup team out onto a ledge that overlooked the facility. Ama whistled.

“Not bad, Sarge. Looks like a fairly busy place. We should set up shop here. Just remember to keep your heads down – blown out brains, I can’t fix.” the medic cautioned.

“Mags’ll be alright, then. She’s got so much air in her head her brain can dodge any bullet.” Bucky said mildly, setting up a beautiful sniper rifle on the ledge. Eryn gasped.

“I’m telling Steve!” she said immediately.

“Fine, but if you tell Steve what I just said, I’m gonna tell the Colonel who really put the chilli pepper in the milk caddy the other day.” Barnes threatened.

“Wait a minute. THAT WAS YOU?! I admitted _fourteen_ patients with mysterious burning sensations in the mouth and stomach! They though they’d been poisoned and were gonna die!” Ama stormed.

“I was aiming for Hodge! The other thirteen were an accident! Look alive, folks; we’ve got movement down there.” Roo said, quickly changing the subject.

  


“Whoa. That is one serious door.” Mags said, staring up at the enormous locked vault in awe.

“You said it. You got any idea what they might be storing here? These walls are two feet thick, easy.” Gabe said, frowning as he examined a sheaf of papers.

“I don’t know, but I’ll wager it’s nothing good. Whatever it is, we’ve gotta get to it and bring it back somehow without getting ourselves killed in the process.” Steve said grimly.

“Must be something pretty important if HYDRA’s got this many men here to defend it. Why go to all this trouble if it’s not Tesseract energy?” Falsworth said with a shrug.

“According to these registry logs, it’s a Tesseract core. From the look of this report, they’ve been using ‘em to try and set up a network of teleporters. It’s still a work in progress, but if we get this back to Eryn and Stark, they might be able to do something about it.” Gabriel suggested, throwing the papers aside.

“That’s great and all, but…how do we get in? This thing’s got a combo lock and even HYDRA aren’t dumb enough to leave the door code just lying around.” Maggie said thoughtfully.

“We call in the big guns. _Literally._ Bucky, do you think you can take this lock off?” Rogers asked over the radio.

“Leave it to me, Cap.” Bucky replied.

There was a second or so of silence, before a shot rang out and the lock dropped to the ground, smoking slightly.

“Nice shooting, Buck! Steve, you’re gonna have to haul this thing open.” Mags pointed out.

He braced himself against the door, pushing with all his might. With a groan of protest, the massive door swung open, revealing a whole stash of HYDRA weapons, and in the middle of it, a canister filled with dancing blue light. “ _There_ we are. Hey…does no one else find it a bit suspicious that we haven’t run into any trouble yet?” Gabe asked apprehensively.

“Yeah…I mean, I have no doubt that Dugan and the others are _**obliterating**_ the HYDRA forces on this end, but there’s another door to this vault on the other side. Where are all the soldiers?” Maggie wondered, picking up the canister. Another shot rang out and she instinctively leapt back, holding the canister up automatically. The energy inside went haywire, glowing a bright, fierce blue before exploding violently and throwing them all back.

  


“ _ **Whoa!**_ What the hell was _that?!_ ” Ama yelped as the ground shuddered beneath them.

“I don’t know…but it sounded a lot _bigger_ than a grenade.” Bucky said worriedly.

“A tank? But it came from _inside_ the compound – there’s not enough room for a tank to manoeuvre in there!” Roo reasoned.

“Keep an eye out, just in case. The last thing we need is heavy artillery rolling in.” he said cautiously.

Eryn winced suddenly when something rushed past her face. “Ah! What the-?!” she hissed. Her eyes widened suddenly and she calmly reached over Bucky to pick up the radio. “Guys. Guys, can you read me?” she asked.

“Y-yeah…just about. Damn, that hurt…I think we’re okay, apart from a couple of scrapes and bruises. What’s going on with you guys?” Gabriel asked weakly.

“Well…I don’t know if you can see from where you are, but you _miiiight_ want to look out the window.” She said softly.

“Why?” Steve ground out, hauling himself upright. “Because it’s raining _**upside down**_.” She explained, as if it were the most normal thing in the world. Bucky and Ama looked up to see that was indeed the case – water was rushing up from the ground beneath them and going back into the sky.


	11. The Outhouse Incident

“What the hell…is this a HYDRA weapon?” Bucky wondered.

“Look, I’ve seen a lot of crazy shit go down with HYDRA, but bending the laws of physics? So far, the only person able to do that is me. Wait a minute!” Roo yelped.

“You don’t think…maybe Maggie…?” Ama trailed off, horrified.

“Oh, no. STEVE! _**STEVEN!**_ Where’s Mags?! Find Maggie!” Eryn yelled into the radio.

“She’s here, she’s fine! What’s going on out there?!” Rogers asked.

“HOW THE HELL SHOULD I KNOW?! THEY DON’T EXACTLY COVER _**UPSIDE-DOWN RAIN**_ IN BASIC!” Barnes shouted back.

“Hey…is it just me or is this ‘rain’, for want of a better word, becoming…harder? Not as in _raining_ harder, but as in _solid?_ ” Ama observed.

“Ouch! Definitely solid! This is crazy…like the portal was crazy enough, but this is just **weird**. It’s almost like…matter transformation.” Eryn murmured.

“Okay, that’s cool and all but that still doesn’t explain why it’s the wrong way up.” Bucky reminded her.

“Matter doesn’t just have to be stuff we can see. Air molecules…they count too. It’s not a case of the rain defying gravity, it’s a case of it being forced upward at high speed, making it looks as though it’s raining upside-down.” She theorised.

“Well…what goes up, must come down, right? So we should probably move.” Ama suggested, just as a large icicle pierced the ground mere inches from her hand.

  


“ _ **Ow**_ …that hurt like hell. The canister…” Maggie said blearily, lifting up the shattered and empty case. “Ah, _fuck it_.” She grumbled, throwing it aside.

“Are you okay? That thing exploded right in front of you, aren’t you hurt?” Falsworth asked, concerned.

“I feel fine. We have to get out of here though, the mission’s a bust and with all this cacophony going on, it won’t be long before Schmidt sends reinforcements this way. We’ll get the heavy hitters to take out the base from a distance, but we’ve got to find a way to get out first!” she said urgently.

“Back the way we came?” Gabe suggested.

“I DON’T THINK SO!” Fresno yelled from the end of the corridor, as he, Dugan and Jacques ran towards them, pursued by a horde of HYDRA soldiers.

“YOU DUMBASSES, WHY’D YOU BRING THEM THIS WAY?!” Mags shrieked as they ran back to the vault.

“Goddammit! There’s no way out this way! **BARNES!** Barnes, we need you to bust this lock too!” Falsworth called over the radio quickly as the clamour of the approaching soldiers grew nearer and nearer to their unwise hiding spot.

“JUST HOLD ON A MINUTE! WE’VE GOT A BIT OF A _SITUATION_ OUT HERE!” Bucky hollered back.

“Situation…?” Dugan repeated.

  


“ **WHOA!** Holy shit, this is _terrifying!_ ” Roo squawked, dodging another icicle by a hair’s breadth.

“Look at the size of these things! They’re like spears! Quick, get into the woods!” Bucky hissed, dragging Ama out of harm’s way as another thudded into the ground nearby.

“Where are they coming from?! This doesn’t make any sense!” She cried.

“IT’S MATTER TRANSFORMATION, IT’S NOT _SUPPOSED_ TO MAKE SENSE! Matter makes up literally everything that exists in our universe – she’s messing around with the fabric of reality and she doesn’t even know it yet!” Roo roared back.

“THIS IS SCARY! WHY THE HELL DID SHE END UP WITH SUCH A CRAZY POWER?!” Ama screeched as more of the icicles came hissing down around them.

“I don’t know, but keep running or you’re gonna get skewered like a pig at a hog roast!” Bucky urged.

“ **WAHAHA!** BUCKY, YOU ASSHOLE! I CAN’T RUN WHEN YOU MAKE ME-” Roo’s cackling stopped abruptly when a shot rang out, echoing clearly through the forest.

  


“We’ve got to find a way out of this compound. Some of those guys have flamethrowers, none of us stand a chance if one of those fuckers gets in here.” Mags said seriously.

“And there’s no way for an evacuation team to get to us, either. Our backup is currently running away from some sort of horrific unnatural icicle rain, and we’re trapped in here praying HYDRA don’t figure out how to open that door. The odds aren’t looking spectacular.” Falsworth said heavily.

“Yeah, what’s with that? I mean, first it starts raining upside down, now icicles? That ain’t natural. And it doesn’t sound like a HYDRA weapon. So what the hell’s going on out there?” Gabriel wondered.

“I don’t know, but they’re in real deep shit. Those woods are probably crawling with HYDRA gunmen who’re more shooty than talky. We’re in a pinch here. It’s gonna take a miracle to get us outta this one.” Dugan said glumly.

Steve frowned, before turning to Maggie. “Mags. What’s your power?” he asked.

“Hm? What are you talking about?” she asked, confused.

“You know, your power. Eryn can move stuff with her mind and open portals. Ama’s as strong as I am and can power machinery just by touching it. What about you?” he pressed.

“I don’t have a power. Sorry to disappoint.” she said flatly.

Morita looked out the window at the hellish hail of sharpened ice. “You sure that’s not your power? Only, all this started going to shit after you almost got blown to bits, right? So when that happened, you reacted instinctively. Maybe using an ability you didn’t know you had yet.” he suggested.

“Oh. Oh, you’ve gotta be kidding me. I don’t know how I did that! How am I supposed to make it stop if I don’t even know how I started it in the first place?!” she asked, aggrieved.

“Calm down. Just try to think about it. That’s what Eryn did, right? She thought about it, and it happened. Just think.” Steve said patiently.

She sighed, but closed her eyes. At once, the cacophonous rain of ice stopped. “No way.” Fresno said, awed.

“Well, that’s great and all, but how is fucked up weather supposed to get us out of this place without accidentally killing us too?!” she asked irritably.

“Maybe it’s not just weather. Try thinking about something again. Anything that might help us get out of here.” Falsworth encouraged.

There was an odd, fluid sound from behind Maggie, and she turned to see the door melting rapidly, pools of molten steel stretching across the floor.

  


Roo stumbled slightly, before collapsing. “Wh…Eryn?” Ama asked fearfully. Bucky pushed her aside suddenly as another shot was fired, hitting him in the left shoulder.

“ _ **AUGH!**_ Shit…there are snipers here! Dammit…we even said it ourselves… _Vampyrs_ , disposable two-shot sniper rifles. Shooter’s mine, you just deal with her.” He said shakily, drawing a pistol and clutching his wounded arm. With a single well-aimed shot, he took out the sniper.

  


“Guys? _**GUYS!**_ Can anybody hear me? This is Agent Faulkner of the Howling Commandos, does _anybody_ copy?” Ama’s desperate call sounded out around the base.

“This is Stark, I copy. The Colonel’s here too. What’s going on out there?!” Howard demanded.

“Agent Foley-Quirke is down! I…I think she’s been hit in the face! We need a medical evac team on site ASAP!” Ama said seriously.

“No can do. You haven’t cleared the area of HYDRA forces yet, we can’t get anyone to you until you do that.” Phillips said sternly.

“We can’t do that right now! Have you seen what’s going on?! It’s raining icicles, for Christ’s sake! She’s not the only one, Sergeant Barnes is seriously wounded too! If we don’t get medevac here _**now**_ , both of them are gonna bleed out! We already lost the Tesseract core you sent us after, it was destroyed by HYDRA themselves! Captain Rogers and his team are still inside the compound, and the radio is down! We’ve got no way of contacting them! Now you have two choices – you either leave us here to die and lose the best damn soldiers you’ve got, or you get your asses out here and _**save them!**_ ” she said furiously.

“ **STARK!** I can’t send medevac out there in those sort of conditions, and that’s without this icicle rain she keeps mentioning. You’re the best damn pilot I’ve seen in a long time, kid. Go out there and bring those kids _back_.” The Colonel said firmly.

“Yes sir. Agent Carter, come with me. We need to round up medical supplies – blood bags, bandages, tourniquets; anything you can think of. Faulkner didn’t mention the nature of the injuries, but it must’ve been something pretty hefty to drop a guy like Barnes. He’s a tenacious son of a bitch at the worst of times. We’ll be going right into the heart of darkness here, and we’re probably gonna get our asses shot off before we even get close to the HYDRA base. Are you in?” Stark asked gravely.

“Absolutely.” Peggy replied sincerely.

  


The last of the door slid to the ground, and Mags frowned deeply. “That’s weird…there’s no smell. There’s no heat coming from it, either. Look, it’s quite cool.” She murmured, dipping the butt of her gun in the pool of melted steel to demonstrate the point.

“What is going on?! Steel melts at about 1400°C, that stuff should be scalding everything it touches!” Falsworth hissed.

“It’s like it shifted from one state to another without a change in temperature. That’s not possible.” Gabe said simply.

“Neither are portals or magical weapons made of a cube from outer space, and yet…” Steve trailed off, looking out the window.

To their astonishment, the wall in front of him began to collapse, folding in on itself in a rush of liquid plaster. “So it **was** you.” he said, amused.

“Seems so. Come on, let’s get out of here!” Maggie urged as the wall collapsed, leaving them free.

“Wait! If we go out there, the soldiers will follow us and start attacking the others!” Morita protested.

“Don’t worry! I’ve got a plan for that too!” she called over her shoulder cheerfully as they ran.

As expected, the HYDRA soldiers ran after them, only to cry out in horror as the walls around them began to collapse, sending the roof toppling down on their heads. “UAHAHAHA! TAKE THAT, YOU JERKS!” Maggie crowed victoriously, making a rude gesture at the wreckage.

  


“What do we do now?” Bucky asked, grimacing as blood seeped through his fingers.

“We need to get out of here! That icicle rain might’ve stopped, but there’s too much cover here for Stark to find us!” Ama said seriously.

“What makes you think _**Stark**_ is gonna come to our rescue?” he asked dubiously.

“Because, despite his idiocy and complete inability to read social cues, he’s actually a _good man_. He won’t leave us behind. We need to get back out in the open, and we need to contact the others somehow and tell them to regroup.” She said wisely.

“What about _her?_ ” he asked, indicating Roo still lying on the ground, completely unresponsive.

“That bullet missed her brain by inches. Entered through the zygomatic bone of the left orbit, shattering it in the process, and exited through the left eye. So long as we get her a blood transfusion and a ventilator, she’ll be fine. There’s no saving that eye, though. And right after she got so lucky with it, too.” She lamented, picking Roo up piggyback style.

“Shouldn’t I be doing that? She’s taller and heavier than you.” Barnes pointed out.

“ **Hell no!** That bullet you took severed a major blood vessel! If you exert yourself, you’ll just increase your heart rate and bleed out even faster! We’ve got to reach the radio, and then _you_ don’t move anymore until the plane arrives!” she said sternly.

They made their way over to their hiding spot as quickly as possible, only to find the radio already buzzing. “Hey! HEY! It’s Stark! Anybody out there?” Howard’s voice came over the device.

“ _ **HOWARD!**_ It’s Faulkner, I read, I’m here! Where are you?” Ama asked, relieved.

“About a mile out from your location. Is there anywhere for us to land this thing?” he asked.

“Yes! There’s a large clearing just outside the compound. Please hurry!” she said urgently.

“That’s the plan. You just sit tight and wait for us, okay?” another voice said over the radio.

“PEGGY?!” the redhead squawked.

“You’re not actually _surprised_ are you? I couldn’t leave you all out here, and I certainly wasn’t going to sit and wait for someone else to come to your rescue!” Peggy said firmly.

“ **You’re** a voice for sore ears. Please tell me you have a ventilator on you.” Ama said quickly.

“Yes. Can you see us yet?” Peggy asked. The familiar droning of an engine caught Ama’s attention and she looked up to see the silver plane right above them.

“Yes! We’re right below you!” she called over the radio. The plane circled overhead briefly, before beginning it’s descent and landing neatly in the clearing.

“Now we just need to find Steve, Mags and the boys…” Bucky said faintly.

“You called?” Maggie asked brightly, hauling herself up the ledge and helping the others up one by one, except for Steve who simply jumped. “Show off.” she teased as they boarded the plane. The grin slid off her face when she saw the state of the backup team. “What the hell happened to you?!” she demanded, shocked by the amount of blood on Ama’s clothes.

“None of it’s mine. Bucky and Roo got shot.” the medic explained, indicating the deathly pale sniper with a bloody cloth pressed to his left shoulder, and the artilleryman lying motionless on one of the benches.

“What _**happened**_ to you guys?” Dugan asked, horrified.

“Tell you later. Stark, I need you over here!” Ama called.

“I’m flying the plane; I can’t do two things at once!” Howard shouted back.

“Maggie, you and Peg can fly this thing, right?” the redhead asked.

“Well, we’re about to find out. Tag out, Howard!” Mags called, vaulting over him to sit in the co-pilot’s seat. As soon as she took control, he unbuckled himself and clambered awkwardly over the seats to the back, while Peggy took his place neatly.

“What’ve we got here, Faulkner?” Stark asked.

“Complete loss of the frontosphenoidal and zygomatic processes. The shock of the hit shattered them both, and she’s probably gonna need surgery to remove some of these bone fragments and any shrapnel. Might need reconstructive surgery too, but that’s for later. Her left eye is a complete loss, it’s just totally gone. The optic nerves were severed by the bullet as it passed through, and she’s losing a lot of blood. Can you perform CPR?” Ama asked brusquely.

“Uh…yes, but why’s that relevant? She’s breathing fine on her own.” He pointed out.

“Yeah, for now. She’s suffered a severe injury to the skull, she’s liable to go into shock and stop breathing. I need you to make sure that doesn’t happen, you’re the only other person who knows how to read the outputs on these machines.” She said calmly.

“Alright fine, but if she wakes up while I’m doing it, she’s gonna punch me.” He said sullenly.

“Good, you deserve it.” Peggy replied from the front. Bucky leant forward and retched suddenly, and the plane dipped wildly in response.

“S-sorry!” Maggie squeaked, doing her best to keep the aircraft level.

“Easy, Bucky! I know you feel like crap right now, but if you throw up Maggie’s probably gonna crash the plane.” Steve said bracingly.

Bucky managed a weak grin, though his eyes were unfocused and his forehead was dripping cold sweat. “Oh, James. Look at the _state_ of you! What were you thinking, saving me like that?” Ama asked fondly, kissing him on the cheek.

“Finally…paid you back for…Schmidt, huh?” he said feebly.

“You’re still losing a lot of blood, and we’re out of bandages…ah, I’ve got it!” she said, struck by inspiration as she pulled off her tie.

“Steve, put pressure on this for me, would you? James, I need you to move your hand for a second.” She said gently. Shakily, Bucky lifted the cloth away to reveal the bleeding hole in his shoulder.

“Wow. I can see right through you.” Falsworth said worriedly.

He laughed softly at that.

“Okay, this is gonna hurt but I need you to hold still.” The redhead warned, wrapping her tie around his neck and under his arm, pulling it tightly about the wound. He hissed in pain, but remained still. “Good lad. Steve, do you think you can stay on that? He’s too weak to put pressure on it by himself. James, can you try and stay awake for me? I know it’s difficult, but we’re gonna have one hell of a time moving you if you pass out.” She said kindly. He nodded once, lacing his blood-soaked, pale fingers through hers.

  


“How did it go?” Howard asked as Ama stepped out of the operating theatre several hours later.

“They’re both doing well. We had to piece Bucky’s left collarbone back together, and we reconstructed a good portion of Roo’s orbit with the aid of some titanium mesh. Both of them should wake up in a couple of hours.” She said wearily, practically collapsing into the nearest chair.

“You did really well today. If it wasn’t for your quick thinking and tenacity, Barnes and Quirke would be dead. We’re all proud of you.” Phillips said sincerely.

“Don’t be. I was just doing my job. The whole time, I was terrified I might’ve _missed_ something or that one of them would go into shock. We’re extremely lucky we all got out of that alive.” The redhead said tiredly.

“And if you’d been any less of a medic, you _**wouldn’t**_ have. This was about skill and the ability to keep a cool head in an emergency. Luck had nothing to do with it.” The Colonel said quietly.

“Well, they’re going to need time to heal up. A week at the very least, two if you can give us.” She said flatly.

“Two weeks it is. Being on base isn’t gonna help them heal any quicker, you got a recovery spot in mind?” he asked.

“Yeah. I’ve got somewhere lined up.” She assured him.


	12. Ain't No Place Like Home

Ama sighed, turning the page in her book distractedly. She’d taken in none of the story, so worried was she that so much as looking away from her charges might send them into cardiac arrest. A faint groan was her first indication that she wasn’t the only conscious person in the room.

“Lis…?” Bucky asked weakly, struggling to focus on her.

“Hey, Buck. How are you feeling?” she said gently, reaching over to brush a stray strand of hair out of his face.

“ _ **Shitty.**_ But I’m alive.” He said honestly, prompting a quiet laugh from her.

“Good. I didn’t plan on being a widow just yet.” She said softly, kissing him on the forehead.

“I almost die and that’s all I get?” he asked, raising an eyebrow.

She rolled her eyes but leaned forward to kiss him properly.

Something shiny on the nightstand caught his eye. “Are those my dog tags?” he asked, frowning slightly.

“Yes, we had to take them off for the procedure. Can’t wear them in surgery.” She explained. He reached over with his good arm, scooping them off the table and holding them out to her.

“You want me to put them on you?” she asked.

“No. I want you to put them on _**you**_. I haven’t got a ring or whatever, but once we get out of this, I’m marrying you.” He said simply.

“After everything you’ve put me through, you’d better.” She replied, leaning over to kiss him again. She hung the dog tags about her neck, smiling.

“‘Grats.” Someone said weakly from Ama’s other side.

“ **R-ROO?!** How long have you been awake?!” she yelped, almost falling out of her seat.

“About ten seconds. My head…hurts…” Eryn said weakly, frowning.

“It _will_ do! You got shot, remember?” the redhead said, relieved.

“Vaguely…the hell’d you do to Barnes, anyway?” she asked hoarsely.

“He got shot too, but you were already unconscious by that point.” Ama explained.

“Oh. Sorry ‘bout that.” Roo said bluntly.

“Well, I’m used to it. Normally it’s you and Howard getting stitched back together, but this time it’s you and Buck. I honestly have no idea how you’re still alive at this point.” The medic said with a sigh.

“Dumb luck and a deal with the devil. So, what’s on the agenda?” Roo asked, sitting up with difficulty.

“ _ **LIE BACK DOWN!**_ You idiot, you’re not supposed to be moving yet! Both of you are staying in overnight so we can keep an eye on you, and tomorrow we’re moving you out somewhere you can both rest. Boss has given the Howling Commandos a two week leave of absence so you can recover.” Ama huffed.

Eryn lay back down quickly. “Where are we off to, then?” she asked apprehensively.

“Falchurch.” The redhead said idly.

  


“How long is this gonna take?” Howard asked boredly.

“Oh my god, Stark, would you stop _**whinging?!**_ We’ve only been in the car for 45 minutes!” Ama said irritably.

“We’ve got about another half an hour to go, but I swear to god if you keep this up, I **will** throw you out the window.” Maggie promised from the driver’s seat. Bucky noticed something out of the window and frowned.

“Hey, Lis. What’s that?” he asked, pointing to the structure on top of the hill.

“Oh, that! Roo, can you see it?” Ama asked.

“Half. Why, what is it?” Eryn asked.

“That’s the first time you’ve spoken the whole way, did you know that? They call it the Falchurch Cross. It was erected in the aftermath of the fire at Kyritz. The villagers built it themselves.” The redhead elaborated, smiling at the look on her face.

“A memorial?” Roo asked.

“Yes. Your name’s on there too – when you went missing, everyone assumed the worst. Can’t really blame them, it _was_ the Nazis after all.” She explained.

“I suppose when we die, they’ll put us up there too. It’s become a memorial for all those who died in the service of the Crown.” Maggie said mildly.

“How will we know when we get there?” Steve wondered.

“Oh, you’ll know. Trust me on that one.” Ama said, grinning.

“Why? Is there a rocket sticking out the back of the house or something?” Stark asked.

“No, but you might change your perceptions a little when you see the place. It’s been quite empty for a while now – only the housekeepers coming in to check the place over every day. From what they’ve told me, everything is in order. I mentioned that we were coming with a large group, and Mrs. Arkwright sounded ecstatic. It’ll be nice for the place to have some life in it again.” she said thoughtfully.

“That old bat?! I had no idea she was still in business.” Roo muttered under her breath.

“Don’t get cheeky, now. The minute she sees you, she’s gonna give you a good hiding, you know that right?” Ama warned.

“That doesn’t surprise me. I did sort of leave them in the lurch a little…and then vanished off the face of the earth for two years. I’d be much more surprised if she _**didn’t**_ hit me.” Eryn said dully.

“Same here. I wouldn’t get too antsy yet though – she’s probably going to beat me and Ama too. We didn’t exactly tell her about going to America. We just sort of sold the house and went.” Maggie said sheepishly.

They passed by a high wall surrounding a stately looking home, boasting a beautifully tended garden. “Wish we had houses like that where I live.” Bucky said wistfully. The car turned suddenly, pulling up at the gates.

“Wait…what are you doing?” Steve asked as Maggie waved to someone out the window. The gates opened, and the car slowly made it’s way down a gravel driveway to pull up in front of the enormous home. The boys turned to stare at Roo, open-mouthed.

“You didn’t tell me you lived in a _**mansion!**_ ” Howard squawked.

“I don’t. I live with you guys in the SSR barracks. This is where I _used_ to live. My great-great-grandfather had the whole place built from scratch. It’s beautiful and all…but empty. I couldn’t bear the thought of living here alone. This is the first time I’ve seen it in near of a decade.” She replied sullenly as they got out of the car. The second car pulled up next to them, and the rest of the Howling Commandos, plus Peggy and the Colonel stepped out onto the pathway leading up to the front door.

“Nice place you got here, Quirke.” Phillips said appreciatively.

“It’s _Foley_ -Quirke; the name is above the door!” Roo grumbled.

The front door opened and an elderly couple stepped out, faces unreadable. The three Valkyries froze.

“Erm…hello, Mr. and Mrs. Arkwright. I’m home.” Eryn said awkwardly. There was no response. “I er…brought some guests with me. They need a place to stay for a while. Look, I know you’re angry with me, and you have _every right_ to be. I shouldn’t have just run away like that, without telling you anything. But please don’t take it out on this lot. They’re good guys, and they’re my _**friends.**_ ” She said nervously. Mrs. Arkwright swept down the stairs towards her, and Roo braced herself for a slap.

She was therefore very surprised when the old woman pulled her into a tight hug.

“Stupid girl. Where have you _been_ all these years?! Heavens above, child, what have you done to yourself? Stupid, _stupid_ girl!” Mrs. Arkwright said tearfully.

“I’m sorry. I’m _so_ sorry.” Eryn said weakly.

“Wicked child! You’ve no business apologising – it’s you who’ve suffered the most in all this. Welcome home, Eryngo.” She said warmly, wiping her eyes.

“Aye, it’s been a long time, but you’re alright now. All three of you. You’re alright now.” Mr. Arkwright promised, eyes shining as he led them all into the entrance hall.

The hall itself was sparse on furniture, with what little there was hidden under dust sheets, but the walls had been left bare, displaying intricate murals of ancient heroes battling terrifying monsters.

Bucky whistled appreciatively. “Your great-great-grandpa sure knew how to spend his money.” he complimented.

“You haven’t seen anything yet. This old place is full of surprises. You might wanna watch your step, though; some of those surprises are actually quite nasty. This house doesn’t appreciate people trying to snoop.” Eryn warned, wiping her face hastily.

“Well, now that the woman of the house is home, we ought to be getting off. There’s plenty of food in the pantry and medical supplies in the ground floor office, should you need them. We’ll be back weekend after next to keep the house. It was wonderful to see you all again.” Mrs. Arkwright said kindly, closing the immense front door behind her as she and her husband left, leaving also a cold silence.

“…Why? Why would you bring me back here? What good could _**possibly**_ come of returning to this house?! There’s nothing left here but dust and regret!” Eryn snarled, kicking over a nearby vase which shattered into a thousand pieces that skittered across the marble floor. A shard landed by Maggie’s foot and she picked it up, examining it in the sunlight streaming through the enormous windows.

“Nice going, idiot. You broke it. And now what? What exactly did that accomplish? Nothing, except making even more mess.” she shot back, unimpressed.

“Eryn. I know you didn’t want to come back here. That leaving was your choice. But that was a long time ago. The source of all those regrets is gone. For better or for worse, Hadrian is no longer around to disapprove. This house is yours now. Liath Poc has stood empty for far too long, and so have you. Isn’t it about time the two of you let the light back in?” Ama asked softly, holding out the key to the front door.

Reluctantly, Roo took the key. “So what happens now?” she asked sullenly.

“Whatever you want. After all, it is your house. We’re simply guests.” Maggie said with a shrug.

“I suppose that’s true. I’d better clean that up. Er…there are rooms. On the first floor. Don’t-don’t go up to the second floor, though. Most of the rooms up there are locked anyway. Find an unlocked room on the first floor and it’s yours to keep. Lord knows this house could use the activity.” the scientist muttered, leaving them to explore the first level.

“How many floors does this place have? It’s friggin’ huge!” Dugan exclaimed as they passed by a lavish bathroom.

“Three if I remember correctly. However, the top floor is more of a walk-in museum than anything. There’s no actual rooms up there. As for the second floor…well after what happened at Kyritz, you can understand why Eryn wouldn’t want any of us up there. If we damaged or broke something of Roman’s, she’d never get over it. I don’t think even she’ll be sleeping up there anymore. Not like it matters all that much, since there are about twenty rooms on this floor alone.” Ama explained.

“Well, some of us are gonna be sharing, so it’s not like there won’t be spares available.” Bucky said idly.

“This is ridiculous. How does somebody afford a place like this?!” Morita asked, shaking his head.

“Hmm. How do I put this without making it sound like an attack…? You see, Eryn’s family…well, the Foley side at least – they had somewhat of a reputation. I suppose it’s to be expected. After all, the name Foley is old Irish for a pirate or marauder.” Ama said with a sigh.

“So what? Her folks were thieves or something?” Steve asked, half-laughing.

“More like a crime syndicate. They were huge business. They had their fingers in some crazy pies, too – there were rumours of a cult and everything!” Mags interjected brightly.

“WHAT?! Why the hell didn’t you tell us earlier?!” Gabriel yelped.

“Oh, relax. Roo might be a bit of a klepto, but it’s not like lunacy’s in the blood or anything. Though there were a lot of nasty stories. Tales of unfavoured sons going missing and stuff. Anyway, it all came to an end when Eryn’s great-grandfather was about our age. You see, Cullen Foley was a bit of a dimbulb. Youngest of seven, short on IQ but long on luck. Somehow he managed to survive all the attempts to off him, to the point that he actually ended up outliving his entire family and inheriting everything! Which he promptly used to build himself a big house and start up a profitable music box business. They’ve been on the straight and narrow ever since, all the way down to Hadrian Foley himself. The Quirkes were a bit more mysterious. Fern Nyssa Quirke just showed up one day, wooed the most eligible bachelor in Kent, and the rest is history.” Maggie cackled.

“She sounds like someone we would’ve been friends with, had she been our age.” Peggy mused.

“Yeah. Ethelbert was a bit weird, but all the best scientists are a little bit eccentric. His wife Dana was nice, though. It broke something in Ethelbert when she died. He moved back to Germany and that was the last we saw of him. Shame, really. He was a nice man.” Ama said with a sigh.

“You say that like he’s already dead.” Howard pointed out.

“Oh, it’s only a matter of time. And he may as well be, for all we know! HYDRA needs him for now – how long do you think that’s gonna last? Schmidt’s not about to let Dr Quirke out of his sight, not when there’s a possibility he could then join the Allies! As soon as he finishes what he’s doing, he’ll be killed! Schmidt will know by now that he can’t use Ethelbert as bait to bring Eryn back. Once the Red Skull runs out of uses for him, he’s nothing but dead weight. We have to get to him before that happens!” Mags said adamantly.

“Is that really a priority right now? As mercenary as it sounds, Ethelbert Quirke ain’t even close to the top of the list when it comes to upcoming missions. We’ve lost our best chance of tracking the Tesseract, so we’re switching to our secondary task – jailbreaking a bunch of Variants and hoping one of them knows more about this than we do. But, as of right now, we have no idea where the new Hades facility actually is. We’ve got night flights combing the German border daily, we’re just gonna have to hope that’s enough. We’re stretched thin as it is, we can’t afford to divert any more resources to such a dangerous area.” Phillips said with a sigh, dumping his bag outside a room and calling it quits.

“I suppose we’d better pick rooms too…” Steve said wearily, examining the nearest bedroom for any signs of habitation before entering. The walls were painted a pale shade of what had once evidently been yellow, but had faded in the sun until it was a shade of sickly cream. “Hm. Can’t say I’m crazy about the décor.” he muttered as he began unpacking his stuff. He caught sight of Maggie hovering in the doorway and raised an eyebrow. “Well? Are you coming in or not?” he asked, making her jump.

“Y-yeah. I just…wasn’t sure what you wanted me to do.” she confessed, looking rather self-conscious.

“Well, I think we’d better get used to living in such close quarters. Besides, the bed’s plenty big enough for two.” he pointed out, frowning when she spluttered. “Too forward?” he asked apologetically.

“No, no! No. It’s just…I didn’t expect you to be so bold about it. Not that it’s a bad thing! I’m glad!” she blustered, embarrassed.

Steve laughed and pulled her into a hug. “It’s cute when you get all flustered like that. I like it.” he said warmly, wincing when she pulled on his cheek.

“Shut up! Don’t make fun of me!” she huffed, going crimson.

“S-still can’t take a compliment, huh?” he said playfully, laughing again when she buried her face in his chest.

“Leave me alone. It’s been a long week.” she mumbled.

“I know. Everybody’s been through the wringer a bit. But Ama’s right, you know. We could all do with a little R & R.” he said gently, kissing her on the top of her head and smiling when she relaxed against him.

  


“You know, you’re a lot more picky about rooms than I thought you’d be.” Ama commented as Bucky turned away from yet another perfectly good bedroom to head to the next.

“When _you_ spend the better part of four months strapped to a gurney, then you can tease. ‘Sides, I figure the Colonel owes us after sending us into Azzano with no extraction plan and no backup.” he said resentfully.

“That was a failing on his part. You’re allowed to be bitter about your commanding officer’s inability to keep his word.” she said wisely.

“I’m not bitter!” he snapped, regretting it when she gave him a reproachful look.

“He says bitterly, with a bitter expression. You know what I mean. You’re allowed to be upset about what happened. About everything that’s happened.” she comforted.

“That’s not what’s ticking me off! It’s not me, Red…it’s the others. The ones we couldn’t save, the ones who got shipped off to Hades. Those are MY MEN! They’re my responsibility! We haven’t got time to sit around twiddling our thumbs while the Colonel comes up with a plan! They could be dying right now!” he growled, slamming open the next door with such force that he slashed his thumb on the hinge and letting out a hiss of pain.

“Careful! You’re wounded enough as it is, stop giving me more work to do!” she chided, pulling a strip of gauze from her belt and quickly bandaging the injury. She sighed at the morose look on his face.

“Look, Bucky…I know how much they mean to you. But you’re no good to your squad showing up half dead! I know you’re frustrated and upset – so are we! But hurting yourself more isn’t the answer! It’s just two weeks, Buck. A fortnight of resting up, and then it’s back into the fray again. But you’re not helping anyone like this. Take some time to relax and you’ll be combat ready before you know it.” she promised, smiling at him.

He sighed, but nodded. “Alright, you win. What do you think of this room?” he asked, indicating the dark red wallpaper and matching bedclothes.

“I think it’s perfect. How about we unpack our gear and settle in for the night?” she asked, tucking a loose strand of hair behind her ear nervously.

Bucky frowned. “Lis? Are you okay? You’re shaking.” he pointed out, concerned.

“I-it’s nothing! It’s just…well, this will be our first time sharing a bed as husband and wife-to-be. I know it’s not really any different, but it’s…something.” she finished lamely, not meeting his eyes.

“Something, huh?” he repeated, closing the door behind them and leaning down to kiss her. “Then let’s make something of it.” he said quietly.

  


“ _It’s not time just yet.  
It’s not time just yet._

_What colour will the  
Morning sunlight be?_

_It’s not time just yet.  
No, it’s not time just yet!_

_This cold night is still  
Only half-eaten…”_

Roo paused in her quiet singing, holding the creaky old candle lantern aloft to check her watch. “Ah, it’s early yet. I should get some sleep.” she muttered to herself, taking care to open the door to her room as swiftly and silently as possible. She slipped in just as fast, closing the door over behind her and setting the lantern down on the bedside table.

The door creaked loudly and she froze, turning slowly to face whatever eldritch abomination had stalked her down the corridor.

“And what have you been doing until such an unsociable hour, may I ask?” Peggy said loftily, arms folded over her chest and her expression one of stern concern.

“Peg, you frightened the life out of me! Don’t do that again!” Eryn said weakly, clutching her chest.

“Oh, shush. You’ve faced scarier things than me in the past. And you still haven’t answered my question.” Carter said firmly, hands moving to her hips. Roo’s eyes followed them, before the Valkyrie turned away slightly with an awkward cough.

“I was…I was down in the central room on the ground floor. Something’s not right down there, and I’m not sure what. Something’s out of place and I can’t quite figure out what it is. It’s been bothering me to no end! Trust Dad to move stuff around just so it’d drive me crazy when I got home! Infuriating man.” she groused.

Peggy’s annoyance faded at the mention of Hadrian. “Sometimes I feel as thought it’s my fault. That I was the one who drove the wedge between you and your father.” she said remorsefully.

“Don’t say that! That’s exactly what he wanted you to think! If he couldn’t accept you as the most important person in my life, that’s his problem, not yours!” Roo said sharply.

“Do you still feel the same way?” Carter asked, smoothing down the front of her skirt.

“You know I do. I know we’ve not been able to have much time together what with me spending so much time in the slammer and you being busy keeping Colonel Phillips out of trouble…but for the next two weeks at least, we’re free. It’s not much, but it’s better than noting at all.” Eryn said sincerely.

“We could have all the time in the world and you’d still say it wasn’t enough.” Peggy said lightly.

“That’s ‘cause I love you.” the scientist said with a shrug.

“And I love you.” the agent replied simply.

“Then why are you still standing in the doorway like a lemon?! Close the door and get over here already!” Eryn protested, smiling when the door slammed shut, cutting out the last sliver of light in the hallway.

The small figure outside the door tilted it’s helmeted head curiously. The number of targets had increased again.


	13. Varianten

“Are you sure it’s okay for you to take those bandages off?” Howard asked, frowning.

“Don’t pull that face, you’ll get stuck like that. Ama said it’s fine so long as I’m careful with it. Look, she even made me a cute little eyepatch!” Roo enthused, showing off the simple black leather patch with a tiny metal skull sown into the centre.

“You and I have very different ideas about what counts as cute. You’re taking this pretty well, all things considered.” he said suspiciously.

“I’m not saying it doesn’t bother me. After all, it’s not safe for me to swing around an anti-tank rifle with no depth perception. I wouldn’t be surprised if the Colonel cut me out of the Howlers. That’s what I’d do, in his position. First mission we get and I get wiped right off the bat.” she said glumly.

“Sure, you need two eyes to be an artilleryman, but what about retraining as something else?” Bucky suggested, pausing in his attempts to read the newspaper over Steve’s shoulder.

“We haven’t got _time_ to retrain her as a soldier, we’ve only got two weeks.” Maggie pointed out.

“So why not retrain her as a _**sniper?**_ We use numbered scopes that tell you exactly how far away an enemy is, depth perception doesn’t matter.” Barnes said simply. There was a moment of silence.

“That’s…actually a really good idea. Using a rifle is kind of in her nature – surely it wouldn’t take long for her to pick it up?” Ama said thoughtfully.

“Don’t sound so surprised! I have good ideas pretty often! Get your gear together, Cap’n Flint, I’m gonna show you how to shoot.” Bucky said decisively.

“What, right now?” Roo asked, bewildered.

“Hey, no time like the present, right? Besides, the sooner you start, the sooner you can get back in the field. You still _wanna_ fight, don’t you?” he asked.

“Hell yes! Are you sure about this?” she asked anxiously.

“Absolutely. It won’t be Buck-A-Roo without you, kid.” He said with a grin, reaching over to ruffle her hair.

“Shut the hell up, Bucky! You’re like five minutes older than I am!” she huffed, following him out into the yard.

“That was kind of him. I don’t think she would’ve taken it well if she’d had to sit back and watch while we went around beating the crap out of HYDRA.” Maggie said quietly.

“I think being back here has helped. It’s certainly helped _me_ , having a proper space to take care of their injuries. Plus the sea air is good for you all – particularly _**you**_ , Stark, you could stand to get outside more often – and it’s somewhere _safe._ Safe is in short supply nowadays, so let’s just hope it stays that way. I’ve missed this place.” Ama said quietly, admiring the mural on the high ceiling of the dining room.

“One of Roo’s family a painter or something? There are murals and carvings everywhere.” Gabe mused.

“Nah, they paid someone to do it. I’m surprised it’s still in such good nick after all these years, though.” Mags admitted.

“Who was the artist? They were pretty talented.” Morita observed.

“I should bloody hope so an’ all! He was our great-grandfather!” Ama said proudly.

“Ah, so artistic talents run in the family! Only you two decided to focus on music and fighting instead of the doodling side, eh?” Dugan said with a grin.

“Well, you know what they say. A woman’s work is never done, so long as there are bad guys that need a good old fashioned punch in the fucking face. I’m gonna go check out the library, see if that book I was reading is still there.” Maggie said idly, standing and stretching. Steve followed her out of the kitchen and down the hall. “You lost or something?” she asked, grinning.

“No. I just wanna see this library. In a house this huge, it’s gotta be really something, right?” he said eagerly.

“Uahaha! Put it this way, you could get lost in there! It’s so damn big the whole thing is divided into sections like a book shop! It’s got a wonderful atmosphere, and the chairs are the most comfortable things you’ll ever sit in. It’s perfect. The three of us used to spend _ages_ down there, back in the day.” she said, suddenly becoming more subdued.

“Tell me.” Steve said softly.

“Tell you what?” she asked suspiciously.

“Whatever it is that’s bothering you. I know something is. Please don’t leave me in the dark.” he said reproachfully, instantly sending her heart to the pit of her stomach.

“It’s not me. It’s _Ama_. She’s always worn her heart on her sleeve. Eryn and me…we were reckless, stupid even sometimes. But Ama was always there, she always stepped in to make sure we didn’t get ourselves killed. Sure, you tease them at the time for being a total stick in the mud, but when you get older you realise that the only reason you’re still alive is because someone cared about you. Enough to put up with the teasing and the arguing, because she really did know what was best for us. She’s only ever had our best interests at heart. But this…this Scharfrichter, these Variants, HYDRA…this is all **way** outside our area of expertise. She doesn’t know how to fix any of this, and it’s killing her.” Maggie admitted, not meeting his eyes.

“I think we’re all kinda feeling like that, to be honest. Ama’s not an idiot, if she needs help she’ll ask for it. She’s not too proud to ask for a hand every now and then. Until then, we just have to do our best to keep an eye on her, make sure she’s not taking on too much at once.” he said supportively.

“…Yeah. You’re right. I suppose I’m just being overprotective. I got so used to being the tough one, it’s hard for me to accept that she’s capable of standing on her own two feet. It’s been that way since Mum left. It’d only been a few years since Dad died, and then to wake up one morning with our mother ushering us out the door with a smile on her face telling us we had to go and stay somewhere else for the foreseeable future…it _**crushed**_ Ama. We were twelve years old.” Mags said emotionlessly.

“I’m sorry. I had no idea.” he replied humbly.

“Don’t apologise. It’s not your fault my mother was a selfish idiot. And what did we get for all her troubles? A knock on the door a few years later from the Secret Service telling us she’d gone missing in Gestapo territory and we likely wouldn’t be seeing her again. Ama sobbed for _days_ afterwards, but I don’t remember crying once. We were lucky Hadrian and Nyssa let us stay here, or we’d have been shipped off with the other evacuees to the ass end of Scotland or something. Even so…this place never really felt like home. Not like our old house did. There was always something _off_ about Liath Poc, even Eryn said so. But we did our best, and it got us…back here, I guess. Either way, we’re better off now than we were before. We’ll just have to keep doing the best we can with what we have. As for my mother…if she isn’t dead, I _**wish**_ she was. I never forgave her for leaving. I couldn’t let go of my bitterness, and I _still_ can’t. I’ll never forgive her for making Ama cry.” she spat, shaking with barely suppressed anger. She stiffened when Steve pulled her into a hug.

“You’re allowed to be angry at her, you know. She kind of abandoned you.” he soothed.

“Yes, she did. I can’t really talk about it with Ama ‘cause she gets upset. She was really close to Mum when we were little. Then for her to just leave so abruptly, without even saying goodbye…you can see how it’d break her heart. If Mum wanted to be a spy so bad, she shouldn’t have had us. She wanted the simple life and she wanted to keep her career, but you can’t have it both ways! Instead, she half-assed being a mother, and half-assed being a spy to the point where she got captured and probably killed. The one valuable lesson she taught me was that in this world, it’s kill or be killed. You can’t afford to dick around when your life’s on the line. You wanna be a spy or an assassin? You have to dedicate yourself to it, ‘cause if you act the fool or let your heart get in the way, you’re gonna wind up dead or worse. It’s the same for all of us. Eryn getting captured just put it all in perspective. She was the most ruthless out of all of us, and she _still_ got caught. That’s when it really hit home. If she could get captured, **any** of us could.” she said with a shudder.

“Well, with any luck, we’ll find the place she was taken and wipe it off the map. Whatever it takes, however many resources we’ve gotta pour into destroying that facility…Hades has to go. You heard what the colonel said – this is a priority mission. But we still don’t know exactly what we’re gonna find out there, so we’ve gotta prepare ourselves.” he said decisively, frowning when he noticed she was staring over his shoulder, not paying him the blindest bit of notice.

“Hey. Mags. Are you listening to me? Earth to Magnolia! What’s gotten into you?” he asked irately. Wordlessly, she pointed to something behind him. Slowly, he turned to see a small person in a metal helmet peering back at him from behind a bookshelf, watching them intently.

 

“Hey, not bad, kid! You hit every single target!” Bucky said with a laugh as he and Eryn headed back inside.

“Eh. It’s not like I bullseyed ‘em. Besides, I had a good teacher. Don’t tell anyone I said that.” she said hastily.

“What would it matter? They wouldn’t believe me anyway. Still, you made good progress today. Another few hours and you’ll be shooting like a pro.” he praised.

“Ah, well. Might have to tell Phillips to drop me anyway. Not sure I can survive another few hours listening to you drone on.” she teased, laughing when he elbowed her in the ribs.

“Sarcastic little shit. Get outta here.” he huffed, shooing her away as he headed into his and Ama’s shared room.

Roo hadn’t taken more than three steps down the corridor when there was a muffled yell from the room Barnes had just entered. She sprinted back down the corridor, poking her head inside the door. “Buck! You alright?” she asked urgently.

He froze, a maid’s uniform clutched in one hand and a dozen exactly like it on the floor at his feet. “I-IT’S NOT WHAT IT LOOKS LIKE!” he squawked.

“Huh? It’s just staff uniforms. They must’ve fallen out when you opened the cupboard. Ohh! I bet you thought I’d think you were prying, huh?” she said cheekily, laughing when he flushed.

“Actually, I was starting to think your parents might’ve been into that sort of thing until you mentioned staff.” he muttered, frowning at the dress in his hands.

“That’s a pretty thoughtful look you’re wearing though, Buck. You’re thinking that Ama’d look good in it, right?” she asked slyly, grinning when he glared at her.

“Don’t be so cold, we’re all pals here! Besides, I think the same about Peggy.” she said with a shrug.

“Ama looks good in everything.” he said flatly.

“Oh, you’re a steadfast kinda guy! I like that! You know…Ama’s the strongest one here by far. She keeps us going. It takes something special to do what she does day in, day out. She’s always under so much pressure, I think she needs someone like you to be strong when she can’t. Her and Mags really went through the wringer back in the day.” she mused, grin sliding off her face.

“Yeah. She doesn’t talk about it much, but it’s clear something’s bothering her. I don’t care about what she had to do back then to get here alive! It doesn’t matter to me who she was or what she did before. It’s what she is _now_ that counts. And if there’s something in her past that’s hurting her, then it’s up to me to help her. That’s my job.” he said firmly.

“Look at you, talking like some kinda grown-up. In all seriousness though, Buck…thanks. I owe you one. But just so you understand, if you ever make that woman cry…” she trailed off, leaning into his space and giving him a frightening, wide-eyed stare.

“I’ll show you _**exactly**_ what I learned at Hades. That’s a promise.” she warned, and there was something not quite right in her voice that deeply unsettled the soldier. Suddenly she leant back, all smiles and joking again.

“So take good care of her, y’hear? We’re the Ama defence squad, and you’d better not forget it!” she said brightly, dashing out of the room.

Barnes sank onto the bed, hands shaking and legs like jelly. “What the hell was that?” he asked the room tremulously, not even noticing when Ama walked in.

“James? Are you feeling alright? You look a little bit pale.” she said, concerned.

“No, I’m not alright! The atmosphere totally changed! And her voice…there was something wrong with it. I don’t know how to explain!” he rambled, wiping his forehead and wincing at the chill of cold sweat on the back of his hand.

“Whoa, wait. Slow down a minute. What are you talking about?” she asked clearly, watching his eyes carefully. He took a few deep breaths to steel himself.

“Eryn. One minute she was fine and then the next…it was like all the air had gone. I felt like I was suffocating, like there was a weight on my shoulders crushing me down. It was only for a few seconds, but it felt like forever.” he said with a full-body shiver.

“Ah. Wrath.” she said darkly, thinking hard.

“Wrath, Wrath! I hear you and Stark whispering about it all the damn time! You all keep on talking about this Wrath, but I don’t know what that is!” he said unhappily.

Ama opened her mouth to respond, but her answer died in her throat when there was an almighty crash from somewhere downstairs. “What in God’s name was that?!” she hissed.

“I don’t know, but we’d better check it out! Come on!” he urged, leading the way towards the source of the noise.

  


“A…a child?” Maggie said blankly, shocked.

“Uh…hey, kid. What’re…uh, what’re you doing here?” Steve called. The child ignored him, helmeted head turning to examine the many glass-fronted cabinets lining the aisle they stood in.

“Um…hello?” he persevered, not quite sure if the child could hear him or not. They turned suddenly, and the tables in the aisle began lifting themselves apparently of their own accord, soaring right towards them.

“COVER!” Rogers barked, dragging Mags behind a cabinet as the heavy desks soared past, smashing to splinters against the far wall.

“Steve! That helmet…doesn’t it look a lot like Eryn’s? It’s plainer and doesn’t have the lights at the front, but aside from that it’s practically a carbon copy!” she pointed out, drawing a pistol.

“So he’s from Hades, but not a Scharfrichter? Wait a minute, you’re not gonna shoot him are you?!” the supersoldier yelped.

“ _ **OF COURSE NOT!**_ He’s a _kid!_ Those helmets are tough, if I shoot it at an angle the bullet will glance off harmlessly, but the shock of the hit should be enough to knock him out without doing any real damage! Okay, on three! One, two…THREE!” she ordered.

On her mark, the two soldiers leapt out of hiding, Maggie firing off a perfect shot. To their horror, the bullet stopped long before it reached the target, simply hanging in the air. “You’re kidding. There’s no way our luck is that bad.” she said hollowly as knives, machetes, bayonets, harpoons and spears of all shapes and sizes burst out of their glass prisons and began racing towards them.

“GET DOWN!” Mags cried, pushing Steve to the ground and using the momentum to follow him down. Something warm and wet spattered against his face and he winced, gritting his teeth against the metallic taste of whatever had seeped into his mouth. They waited until the rain of metal against the far wall stopped before daring to breathe again.

“Shit, that was close. Well, that settles it. He’s definitely not a friendly.” Steve grunted, hauling himself up slightly. Maggie shuddered and he paused.

“I…I think I got _hit_ , Steve.” she said shakily, sitting up slightly to reveal dozens of crimson stains blooming through her blouse. The end of a bayonet peered from between two of her ribs, and the arm of a harpoon protruded from her back, silently dripping blood onto the library floor.

“No. Oh no. Mags?!” Rogers prompted when she slouched forwards slightly, eyes hazy and skin pale. He lifted her head gently, stroking her cheek with trembling fingers.

“Hey, hey! Look at me. It’s gonna be alright, okay? Ama can fix this. She can fix anything, so you’re gonna be just fine. We’re okay, aren’t we? _**LOOK AT ME!**_ ” he pleaded.

To his shock, she pulled away from his touch, standing with great difficulty and ignoring the renewed flow of blood from her injuries.

“I’m…fine. I can still stand. That’s enough. Besides, it’s looks…like he’s stopped throwing things now.” she ground out, turning to the child a the other end of the aisle.

“It’s okay. I’m not trying to hurt you.” she promised, throwing her pistol aside and limping towards him slowly.

“See? I’m unarmed. I know…I know this isn’t what you want. You’re not trying to hurt us because you want to. You’re doing it because you _have_ to. I understand. But you don’t have to do this any more. We don’t need to fight. We should be working together to bring down the people really behind this! The ones who hurt you and your friends!” she said adamantly.

The child made a noise somewhere between a warning growl and a whimper of fear.

“Shh, shh. It’s okay. We’re okay, right? You know I’m telling the truth. And I know…agh!” she stopped suddenly, taking a few deep breaths to steady herself against the pain.

“Mags…your injuries…” Steve said fearfully.

“ _ **THIS IS NOTHING!”**_ she shouted, startling them both.

“Compared to what this child’s been through…this is **nothing!** Right now, he’s hurting far worse than I could ever be! That’s why…that’s why I won’t fight you! I know you’ve seen hell! You’ve been through more than any of us could possibly imagine! But we’re not your enemies! We want to stop HYDRA! We’re going to tear down Hades…and free every Variant trapped in that hellhole! Then we’re gonna find Schmidt, and Zola, and Reinhardt… **AND WE’RE GONNA MAKE THEM PAY FOR WHAT THEY’VE DONE!** ” she said adamantly, stumbling onwards until she was within less than a metre of the child.

“Don’t be afraid. You don’t have to be scared of anything anymore.” she said faintly, resting a bloodied hand on the boy’s shoulder.

A shot rang out and the Variant collapsed, his helmet rolling off as he hit the ground.

“Mags! What the hell happened to you?!” Bucky demanded, stowing his pistol and running over to her with Ama hot on his heels.

“My god, there’s blood everywhere! What were you doing?!” Ama yelped, extracting the weaponry from Maggie’s back carefully and setting to work to try and stem the bleeding.

“That kid, he’s a Variant. Came out of nowhere. We tried to talk to him, but he started attacking us. We thought we had him until he stopped a bullet mid-flight. The only reason he didn’t do the same this time is ‘cause is you took him by surprise. He got really pissed and just…levitated all these weapons and threw ‘em at us. I…I wasn’t quick enough to get out of the way, so Mags pushed me down. But she got hit. This is **my** fault.” Steve said weakly.

Ama sighed irritably. “Buck. Can you do me a favour and remove Captain Rogers from this situation? He’s distracting me, and right now I can’t afford any distractions.” she said firmly.

“Yes, ma’am. Come on, Steve. You don’t need to see this.” Bucky said quietly.

“What?! No, I’m not leaving! This is my fault!” Rogers argued.

“ _ **That’s precisely why I want you to leave!**_ These are life-threatening injuries that Maggie sustained because she wanted to protect **you!** We’re all putting our lives on the line to watch each other’s backs, and that comes with risks! People get hurt, people get killed by one tiny, simple mistake! That’s reality, Steve! This is the world! If you’re not prepared to deal with it, maybe you should’ve thought about that before you became a soldier!” she snapped.

“ **WHAT THE FUCK DID YOU DO TO MY LIBRARY?!”**

The yell of fury made Steve and Bucky wince. Ama carried on with her work, unperturbed as Eryn stormed in.

“So not only did you trash the place, Maggie got shredded too?! What the hell were you doing?!” she bellowed. Wordlessly, the supersoldier pointed to the boy lying a motionless a few feet away. She frowned deeply, eye resting on the fallen helmet for a moment.

“I recognise that design…oh no. _Erik?!_ ” she cried, rushing over to the downed Variant and shaking him slightly.

“Erik! Tell me you didn’t shoot him.” she implored.

“I did, but it ricocheted off his helmet. It didn’t go through.” Bucky explained as she picked up the smaller Variant.

“There’s a room at the back of this one with beds in. We can use it as a makeshift medical centre.” she suggested, the helmet floating along behind her.


	14. Freisetzung Ein: The Descent Into Hades.

Erik opened his eyes slowly, very much aware that he was still in the mansion. His head was throbbing, but the bed he was on was soft, warm and beautifully comfortable. A pretty red haired woman walked into the room and paused on seeing he was awake.

“…Good morning. My name is Ama. Eryn was supposed to be here when you woke up, but she stepped out to get something to eat. It’s the first time she’s left your side. She’ll be back soon, I’m sure. Until then…you don’t have to tell me anything if you don’t want to. I won’t badger you for answers.” she said gently, giving him a warm smile.

“Ah…that – that, um…the golden-haired woman. What happened to her?” he asked weakly. Her face fell slightly and she sighed.

“Magnolia. She’s my sister. She’s…doing better than expected. She lost a lot of blood, but you didn’t hit any vital spots. I’m expecting her to make a full recovery. She’s still sleeping at the moment, but I think she’ll want to talk to you when she wakes. Did…did HYDRA send you?” she asked doubtfully.

“No. Not just them. Someone was…able to convince one of the officers to send me in to try and bring her back.” he said evasively.

“I see. There were plenty of opportunities for you to capture Eryn, yet she hadn’t even seen you before you got shot in the head. There’s another reason for you being here, isn’t there?” she asked.

“Yes. That someone sent me here so you could find us. And so I could deliver a message. I can’t tell you what the message is, because it’s for the Reclaimer.” he said stubbornly.

“That’s fine. This someone you keep mentioning…is it the other Scharfrichter?” she wondered. He nodded. “I thought so. I have to go and check up on Mags. Eryn will be here soon. Try not to cause any trouble, eh?” she said kindly, vanishing behind the large curtain in the centre of the room.

  


Steve sat at the side of Maggie’s bed, pale save for the dark rings around his eyes.

“How’s she doing?” Ama asked as Morita handed her a clipboard.

“No change. But her heart rate and breathing are stable, which is a minor miracle considering she had _**twenty-eight**_ different entry wounds and seven exits. We’re lucky you’re on our side.” Jim said wearily.

“Couldn’t have done it without you. She’s not out of the woods yet, but it’s progress. At this point…I’m a little more worried about _Steve_. This is the first truly life-threatening hit to his team, and he’s not reacting well. Maybe you and the boys ought to talk some sense into him.” she suggested. Morita nodded.

“We’ll do our best.” he assured her, nodding to Eryn when she entered the makeshift medbay.

“Hey, Fresno, Red, Star Spangled Man With A Plan. How’s it humming?” she asked, looking unusually haggard.

“Well, Maggie’s still alive. So there’s that.” Steve said hoarsely.

“Jesus, Rogers! You look like death! Go eat something before you keel over!” she scolded, shooing him out of the room.

“Our guest woke up. Seems he wants to talk to you about something. A message from the other Scharfrichter.” Ama explained.

“Ah. I see. I suppose I’d better not keep him waiting. I’ll leave you to it.” Roo said quietly, passing by the curtain and sitting neatly on a stool at the end of Erik’s bed.

“Number Seven sent me.” he said immediately.

“How? How is that possible? Seven is as trapped as I was, only worse.” she said flatly.

“One of the guards got careless. He got close enough that Number Seven was able to infect him with a Seraph’s Egg. Naturally, everywhere he went, he spread the Angel Dust, which allowed Seven to coerce the others. Because of that, I was sent here to apprehend you. HYDRA seemed to agree it was the best option.” he elaborated.

“How many of the staff at the facility are infected?” she pressed.

“Close to all of them. But the ones that aren’t will fight with everything they have to stop a repeat of what happened at the first Hades. The other problem is Number Seven. He’s getting _weaker._ Every day, they’re draining more energy from him, but even an Originator must have limits. At this rate, he won’t survive for much longer. If we don’t act soon, he’ll be too weak to activate the infection, and no more Angels will be born. More importantly, Number Seven will actually die.” he answered morosely.

“…So things are really that bad, then? Schmidt’s getting desperate if he’s willing to threaten the life of the most powerful Variant in his collection. What was the message he wanted you to pass on, anyway?” she asked. Erik gave her a long, hard stare before answering.

“ _ **Save us.”**_

Eryn’s eyes widened. “Dammit. I knew I’d spent too long away, but I had no way of knowing where the facility was. That’s why he sent you, right? So you could lead us there. So we could tear everything down and burn it to the ground, before it was too late. I…have to go back. It’s not just Seven, but all those other innocents trapped down there like you and I were. I have to help them. That’s why Seven called me the Reclaimer. I’m supposed to claw back what HYDRA stole. I’ll do it, at any cost!” she said adamantly.

  


When Roo exited from behind the curtain, Ama was waiting for her along with Bucky and Steve. “You two were chatting for quite some time. Do we have a lead?” the medic asked.

“Yes. I know where we’re going. If we fly over a certain area, I can portal us down there. It’ll have to be a small strike team – just the Commandos. I don’t – I don’t _trust_ anyone else. I’m not an idiot. Those Variants trapped down there…if we free them only to hand them over to the SSR, how is that any better? They’ll still be trapped. They’ll still be experimented on. They’ll still suffer and die just like before. If you want to come with me, it has to be with the understanding that we’re setting these Variants **free** , every single one of them. That includes the Originators.” she said firmly.

“Could be dangerous. You said yourself you’re not sure how many of them will attack humans on sight. Is it really a good idea to let them all loose?” Steve asked.

“If you don’t wanna come, that’s on you. But I already had to leave them once. I won’t do it again! Any more questions?” she huffed.

“Yeah, what’s an Originator?” Ama asked suspiciously.

“A very powerful Variant. They’re capable of altering the genetic code of ordinary humans so all the kids they have will be Variants. Not all of them are from around here.” she replied with a shrug.

“What, you mean like he’s Russian or something?” Barnes asked, raising an eyebrow.

“Man, you gotta let that beef with the Russians go! It’s bad for your health. And no, I don’t mean that.” she said wearily.

“Wait. Are you saying he’s from _outer space?_ ” Bucky asked incredulously.

“Something like that. But that’s not important right now.” she said dismissively.

“ **WHOA, WHOA, WHOA!** Hold on a minute! How is that _not_ important?!” Ama squawked.

“Seven is _**dying**_. Our priority is getting him out of there. If he dies, everything else is irrelevant. The future of all mankind begins and ends with Subject Seven.” she said cryptically.

“Putting aside the creepy subliminal messaging for a moment, is it really a good idea to rescue him? If he’s as powerful as you say, he’s not **only** a threat to HYDRA.” Steve reminded her.

“Nor am I, yet you still risked your necks to bring me back.” she said bluntly.

“He’s a Scharfrichter.” Bucky added.

“He’s also my _friend!_ I can’t just let him die because you lot got cold feet! I have a promise to keep! If anything happens to Seven, I’ll never be able to face our brother in the afterlife!” she snapped.

“‘Our brother’? You’re talking about the third Scharfrichter? What happened to that guy, anyway?” Ama asked, instantly regretting it when Eryn deflated, suddenly becoming subdued. “Ahh, no, it’s fine if you don’t wanna tell us! Anyway, from what Erik said, it sounded pretty serious. From the looks of it, he’s not going to see out the week. But we can’t really do anything without Mags. We’re gonna need all the skill we can get, it’s stupid to leave her behind. We’re in a bit of a bind here.” she said sadly.

“Mags will be fine.” Eryn said calmly.

“What makes you so sure?!” Steve demanded, incensed.

“Because she _ **has**_ to be. You have twenty-four hours. This time tomorrow, we’ll be locked and loaded. If she can’t walk by then, she can’t come. If I put it off any longer, Seven may be dead by the time we get there. There’s…something else too. According to Erik…my grandfather is being held somewhere in the facility. Whether it’s as bait or not, I don’t know. But I do know this is probably the only chance I have at getting him back!” Roo said anxiously.

“He’s been under HYDRA’s thumb for years, working right alongside the Red Skull. He probably knows things that even Schmidt doesn’t. If we do this, we can get your friend back, make pals with the Variants, and maybe get some top tier intel in the process. Seems pretty win-win to me.” Barnes said idly.

“Oh, so _**now**_ you’re on my side?” she sniped.

“Shut up. Go and bother Stark or something.” he groused, glaring at her until she left the room. “So? What do you think?” he asked.

“Seems her mind is made up. And I agree with you – if there’s even the slightest chance of recovering Ethelbert Quirke alive, we should go for it. HYDRA has a huge advantage over us and they know it. Liberating this facility and winning back Dr Quirke might just turn the tides in our favour. And honestly? We could use all the help we can get.” Ama said unhappily.

  


“So, what’s the plan, Quirke?” Phillips asked as Eryn unrolled a large sheet of paper across the table.

“I got Erik to draw a map of the facility, since I’m no good at art. We’re gonna split into three groups – one’s gonna run around pulling the emergency switches. In the event of an attack on Hades, the idea was that HYDRA would simply pull all these and let loose the Variants onto whatever threat was approaching. We’re gonna turn it back on them. It’s gonna be dangerous even before you start letting people out, you’ll be riding into heavy fire.” she warned.

“Sounds like fun. I’m in.” Dugan said eagerly.

“Same here.” Gabe agreed.

“Oui!” Jacques said emphatically.

“Me and Mags’ll back you up. I’m the biggest target going, maybe we can draw attention away from the rest of you.” Steve offered.

“And I’ll go with ‘em and make sure they don’t get themselves killed doing something stupid.” Morita said with a long-suffering sigh.

“NAHAHA! Good man!” Ama said good-naturedly.

“Next group is gonna have probably the most important job of all. The high security cells are on a totally different power coupling than the rest of them, and they all have to be opened manually. We don’t have time to do that, so someone – preferably two someones - is gonna sneak into the secondary compound here, find the Master Switch and pull it. As soon as that happens, all the top-sec cells will open, so you need to give the vanguard team some warning so they can run like hell, ‘cause they’ll be running for their _lives_. If you see anything in there you think might be useful, nab it. If it looks vital, break it and then run for the hills. Ama, I need you on this one.” Roo said seriously.

“Fair enough. Who’s coming with me?” the medic asked mildly.

“I will. What about you, Barnes?” Falsworth asked.

“No, I’m going with Eryn.” Bucky said simply.

“No you’re not. Erik and I are going in alone.” Eryn corrected.

“The hell you are! You need someone to watch your back! You’re emotionally invested in this, way too much to be safe, and Erik’s a **kid!** You’re not gonna be focusing on your surroundings enough to dodge enemy fire, and _**I’m**_ not gonna be the one to explain to Peggy that you had _another_ hole blown in your skull because you were too busy watching everybody else’s backs to cover your own!” he argued.

“He makes a fair point.” Erik piped up.

“I agree. I don’t like the idea of the two of you going in there by yourselves, Variant or no. I’d much prefer it if you took Bucky with you, just to be on the safe side. I already had to patch you and Mags back together this week. I don’t wanna have to examine either of you on the slab.” Ama said quietly.

“Hey, I’m not dead yet.” Mags groused, limping into the drawing room.

“Good to see you up and around.” the Colonel commented.

“Don’t get used to it. Took me nearly half an hour just to make it in here. Why does this house have so many goddamn hallways to nowhere?! I nearly got lost! Anyway, I fully intend to go back to crashing out for a few days as soon as this mission is over. I couldn’t let you idiots run in there by yourselves, you’d get yourselves killed.” she said with a grin.

“Nice to have you back on the team, shortstacks.” Bucky teased.

“You call me that one more time and I’ll bring you down to my level.” she threatened.

“Now, now! Let’s focus! Eryn, what’s your team going to be doing?” Peggy asked, re-railing the conversation.

“We’re gonna go look for my grandfather. I think I know where he might be. After that, we’re gonna find Seven. From the sound of things, he’s critically weak. He may not be able to leave his cell under his own steam. I can carry him.” Roo said with a shrug.

“So that’s the plan, Commandos. What could possibly go right?” Stark said, aggrieved.

“Oh, shut up. Don’t act like you’re gonna be in any danger way above us mere peons! Anyway, that’s the deal, so get your asses in gear! We leave in an hour!” Eryn said decisively.

  


“Yikes, Mags. These bandages are practically _stuck_ to you.” Steve said with disgust as he slowly peeled them away, revealing the wounds beneath. “ **Wow.** You’re lucky you didn’t bleed to death on the spot. It’s my fault, I should have been quicker.” he said guiltily.

“Eh, you can make it up to me later. Anyway, it’s not like I actually died. Everybody screws up sometimes, don’t beat yourself up over it.” she said casually, handing him the fresh bandages and trying her best to hold still as he tied them around her injuries.

“I know, but it still scared the crap out of me. Don’t do that again.” he chastised.

“No promises. We’re all soldiers now. Gotta take it on the chin when things don’t go our way. And if this doesn’t, well. We’re all as good as dead anyway.” she said gloomily.

“Don’t you start. You wanted to go on this mission, you don’t get to back out now.” he said playfully, kissing her on the cheek.

  


  


“I fixed your weapons up a bit for you. I combined the Tesseract technology we got from HYDRA with a sniper rifle to create this. I call it the Reaper.” Stark said, handing Eryn a magnificent silver rifle.

“ **NICE!** What’d you do for me and Buck?” Ama asked curiously.

“I fitted his rifle with a silencer – quiet as a ghost, now. No-one’ll see or hear his shots. And for you, Agent Faulkner, a little something of my own creation. Again, we combined the Tesseract technology with your old weapon, the PIAT, and created what amounts to a Tesseractine rocket launcher. We call it _Ruination_.” Howard said proudly, handing over the weapon with a grin.

“You’re spoiling us.” Bucky said, looking his rifle over appreciatively.

“Well, I can’t let my best girl go out into the field using just crappy regulation weaponry. You guys too, I guess.” Stark said with a shrug.

“ _Charming._ So aside from this and what we’ve got strapped to our belts, that’s about as much help as we’re getting, I presume?” the medic asked.

“Pretty much. I’m acting as a drop for the Howling Commandos but I’m not supposed to take any hits, so I’ll be dumping you guys out in the woods. Again.” he explained.

  


“Buckle yourselves in, boys. We’re going to be going over some seriously fortified territory on today’s flight, so we’ll be experiencing some pretty hefty turbulence from all the _**explosions**_ going off around us. I hope none of you get airsick!” Maggie said cheerfully as the Howling Commandos made their way onto the plane.

“Bit of a tight squeeze with all of us in here.” Falsworth said uncomfortably.

“Well, yeah. It’s a cargo plane, not a personnel carrier; it was designed to transport goods, not _gunslingers_.” Ama pointed out.

“Yeah, we’re much less breakable than the crap this hunk of shiny junk was hauling about before.” Roo agreed.

“Hey! Don’t talk about my baby like that!” Howard said reproachfully, climbing into the pilot’s seat.

Dugan leaned over to Roo slightly, a conspiratorial look on his face. “What?” she asked, fully expecting hijinks of some sort.

“God as my witness, I’ll pay you a hundred and fifty big ones if you go over there and kiss Stark right on the mouth.” He said quietly.

“Oh, man. You’re just _ **throwing**_ you’re money away here, Dum Dum.” Bucky warned.

“Damn right he is, but he’s throwing it in _my_ direction so I can’t exactly complain.” Eryn said brightly.

“How long until we reach the drop off point?” Steve asked as the plane took off.

“Not long. From here it’ll be about fifteen minutes, so make sure you got everything where it needs to be, ‘cause you can’t come back for it!” Howard cautioned.

“Once we land, we’ve got half an hour before the tanks show up to give us a hand. Howard has to stay airborne, so he’s quite literally dropping us off and then leaving. Once we’re on Terra Firma, we’re on our own. We’ve got no means of getting medevac out here either, so _try_ not to get shot.” Ama said seriously.

“Yeah, I’m not exactly keen on the idea of repeating last time.” Bucky muttered under his breath.

“Getting shot ain’t all it’s cracked up to be, huh?” Fresno asked, grinning.

“Not exactly, no. Howie, how far are we from the drop-off point?” Roo asked.

“About half a mile. Why?” Stark called back.

“Nothing. That should be good enough. Get ready, guys!” she said exuberantly, pulling open the plane door. There was a fierce gust from outside.

“ **WHOA, HEY!** What the hell do you think you’re doing?!” Steve yelped.

“Something, stupid, as usual! You guys ever heard of _skydiving?_ ” she asked.

“Oh, I don’t like where this is going.” Bucky said unhappily.

“C’mon, it’ll be _fun!_ Besides, that way Howard doesn’t have to land at all! Oh, yeah, before I forget, Mr Stark-” Roo hauled herself to the front of the plane and swung down to kiss Howard briefly. “-that’s for luck. Alright lads, let’s go!” she cried, seizing Ama and Maggie by the arms and leaping out of the plane. The rest of the Commandos followed, with a chorus of yells and some cursing from Dugan.

“I think I’m in love.” Stark said dazedly.

“She is quite something, isn’t she?” Peggy agreed, smiling warmly at the look on his face.

  


“ **PLEASE** TELL ME YOU HAVE A PLAN, KID!” Bucky yelled as they fell.

“Call me ‘kid’ one more time and I’m going to let you go splat! Have a little more faith in me, would you?!” Roo called back, opening a portal in the sky. They crash landed in the woods, skidding along in the mud. They all sat up with grunts of pain, scuffed and dirty but otherwise unharmed.

“Well. That was fun.” Dugan said blankly.

“You owe me a hundred and fifty dollars.” Eryn said immediately.

“Uhh…I don’t have it.” He said shiftily.

“ _ **WHAT?!**_ You better get me that money, Dum Dum, or I’m going to do something drastic!” she threatened.

“Are you alright?” Bucky asked as Ama pulled twigs out of her hair.

“Yes, I think so. What about you, how’s your arm?” she replied.

“Ah, I’m fine. I wish that crazy friend of yours would tell us when she plans something stupid like that, though.” He grumbled, getting to his feet unsteadily.

“You and me both.” Maggie muttered, hauling herself upright.

“So which way’s the prison? My compass is going _haywire_.” Steve said with a frown.

“It will do. I told you, there are people with all sorts of abilities here. That’s why I didn’t want Howard landing anywhere near it. It’s this way.” Roo said, dusting herself off.

“Nice place they got here.” Bucky said sarcastically as they reached the razor-wire topped fence of the compound.

“You wait ‘til you see the inside. Remember, there are a couple thousand very pissed off Variants who aren’t gonna check their targets waiting for us on the other side. Be careful, all of you. I’m gonna portal you in, on my mark. Three, two, one…” Roo trailed off as three different portals appeared in front of them. They all set off with their respective teams, emerging in different parts of the compound.

  


“Crap, they’ve got Variants guarding the doors.” Steve muttered as his team reached the nearest block of cells.

“Shit. Now what? We can’t do anything lethal – I mean some of ‘em are kids, right? And they’re not doing this cause they wanna.” Gabe pointed out.

“He’s right. And I’m not comfortable with the idea of hittin’ kids.” Morita agreed. Mags rolled her eyes and stepped out of cover, casually walking over to the Variant in question.

“M-MAGGIE! What’re you doing?!” Steve hissed.

“Shut up and learn, boys. Hey, you there.” she greeted, standing her ground when the metal helmet turned to face her.

“…Identify.” it droned.

“Not HYDRA. Now are you gonna let me pass, or are we gonna have to fight over this?” she asked. After a moment’s thought, the Variant stood aside.

“Proceed.” it replied, a slightly amused lilt to it’s voice.

“Thanks, pal. See, guys? Sometimes _talking_ is a good way of solving things.” she said sardonically, leading the way inside.

  


“Wow. This building is **huge**. Where do we even start?” Ama asked, daunted by the sheer scale of the building they were supposed to be breaking into.

“I have no idea, but we need to hurry. Your abilities involve energy manipulation, don’t they? If there’s a Master Switch, there must be lot of cables running towards it. If you follow the cables to the highest source of power in this building, surely it’s the Master Switch?” Falsworth suggested.

“You’re brilliant. I know you’re a tactician so it’s your job, but still. Excellent line of thinking! Okay, so…it’s this way. Hang on, I’ll have to melt the lock to get us in.” she said breezily, pinching the hoop of the padlock between her fingers and superheating them. The metal melted rapidly and the door clicked open. “You know, this superpower thing is growing on me.” she said with a grin.

“I must say, it _is_ very convenient.” Falsworth said with a smile as they jogged down the corridor.

“Hmm…greatest power source, greatest power source…HERE!” she said, skidding to a halt outside one particular room and kicking the door open. There was nobody inside, but there was something else.

“What is…this machine?” Ama asked apprehensively, staring up at the enormous dome above them.

  


“Here we are. Cell Block R-17. Cells 1200-2200. This is where they were gonna bring you, Buck.” Roo commented.

“There are _**a thousand cells**_ down there?!” Bucky asked dubiously.

“Yes, it goes down ten levels. And the cells aren’t what you’re thinking of – they’re little more than a box. Two metres by two metres. There used to be another facility somewhere West of here, but it was destroyed whilst trying to subdue Seven. Welcome to Hades, Sergeant.” she said softly, opening another door to a cramped, narrow corridor filled with doors as far as the eyes could see.

“There’re so many! Why are they all wearing helmets?” he asked, tilting his head at the nearest prisoner, whose face was obscured by a featureless metal helmet. The prisoner tilted their head in response and he jumped.

“Control devices. We were conditioned to believe that we were safe in those helmets, as a way of keeping us calm. If something upset us, we could just put the helmet on and we’d relax almost instantly. A lot of the prisoners wear them full-time. 1468…almost there.” Roo said distractedly, running through the corridor and leading them on.

“You should be careful. Your cell might be trapped.” Erik warned.

“That’s why I’m here, kiddo.” Bucky said supportively.

Eryn screeched to a halt suddenly and they almost ran into the back of her. “This is it. 1472. Wait…is there somebody _in_ there?” she murmured, peering in.

“Looks like there’s someone sat in that chair…be careful. I’ve got your back.” Bucky assured her, pre-emptively lifting his gun as she opened the door. Someone was indeed sat in the chair, clad in a straitjacket and wearing a metal helmet with a set of sharp teeth engraved on the front.

“What is it you want _**now**_ , Mr Schmidt?” a strongly German accented voice demanded from behind the helmet.

“ _Grandfather!”_ Roo cried, rushing forward to help him.

“ _ **E-ERYNGO?!**_ You’re alive! They told me you’d been killed with Kruger!” Ethelbert yelped, shocked.

“The hell I was! I’m right here, Grandfather! I came to rescue you!” she said, pulling off the helmet. Underneath was a strange mechanical contraption attached to a brain floating in blue fluid.


	15. Freisetzung Zwei: Heaven’s Judgement.

“Wh-what?” Roo said weakly, dropping the helmet.

“Ah, my girl. You should not have done that, no? If you’d left it on, I could’ve pretended…pretended everything was _alright_. I could have told you to leave me, and go on. To just go and be free, as you deserve. But now…I cannot make the heroic sacrifice play. Now I must tell you the _**truth**_ of the matter.” The machine said with a synthesized sigh.

“What in the name of all that is holy is going on in here?” Bucky asked hoarsely.

“I am Ethelbert Quirke. That much you have surmised, I am sure. But when the Nazis took me, I was sick, Eryngo, very sick. I tried to hold out, but a month or so after I was captured, my health deteriorated. Schmidt couldn’t have that. He needed my research. He needed me alive. So he had Zola build me this. The body is an automaton, much like Manfred. You remember Manfred, no? He should still be where he was hidden all those years ago. You know where to look. My brain was the only part of me Schmidt was interested in salvaging, and so he did. Just that, nothing else. I am quite literally nothing more than what you see before you. It has been painful…agonisingly so, you see? The need was only to keep me alive – not _comfortable,_ nor free from pain. I never told anyone, but all of my research was uploaded to Manfred’s intelligence chip a long time ago. If you have Manfred, you have everything you need to shut down HYDRA forever.” Quirke began.

“I…I don’t understand. What are you _saying?_ ” Eryn asked tearfully.

“I think you do understand, my dear. You have been a good girl; so kind, so strong. And so very **brave**. I must ask you to be brave one more time…and to listen to this selfish old man’s last requests. Can you do that for me, Eryngo?” Ethelbert asked. She nodded mutely, ignoring the tears on her face. A klaxon sounded from somewhere.

“Ah. You are freeing them. Good, that is good. Remember to free Seven, won’t you? He is a bad boy who has done terrible things, but he still deserves a life with no suffering. There are two things you must do for me, Eryngo. The first…is to see this through to the end. You have the power to defeat HYDRA. Now you must wield it, my little Valkyrie, and save the world from Schmidt’s madness. The second thing…it is the height of mine selfishness, and will cause you great pain. But I can ask it of no other. Destroy this. Destroy _**me**_. The suffering this body has brought me is incalculable…as is the agony ending my life will cause you, but you must do it because I would trust this task to no other. You will take care of Manfred in my absence, will you not? Promise me?” he asked hopefully.

“I promise, grandfather. I’ll take good care of Manny for you. And I promise…I’ll find a way to end all of this. I swear it!” Eryn said shakily, drawing a pistol.

“ **Ah.** Good girl. You are so very, very brave. My beloved daughter’s daughter. I am proud of you. So very _proud_. And one more thing – one _last_ thing. Because I don’t say it enough. **I love you, Eryngo**.” Quirke said happily, the vocaliser buzzing somewhat. She bit back a sob, raising the pistol and struggling to hold it still. Bucky’s hand closed over the weapon, holding it firmly in place and steadying her aim. He nodded, and she swallowed hard before giving a cry of anguish and opening fire.

  


“This place is creepy as _hell…_ there’s no way we’re getting out of here alive if these guys start attacking us.” Dugan muttered.

“They won’t. I think they _know_ we’re here to help them. Roo said some of them were telepaths – if that’s the case, one of them has probably already read our minds and told the others we’re here to save them.” Maggie said casually.

“How are _you_ so calm about all this?! We got kids in here with magical powers and such bullshit! How are you not the least bit worried right now?” he huffed.

“Because there’s no way in hell I could ever be as scared as those children are right now! We have to do our utmost to get those kids out of here, as soon as possible! We can’t reunite them with their parents, but we can give them a chance at a better life – a _**full**_ life, where they can actually have childhoods and go and do all the things they’ve been denied during their imprisonment. I don’t care what anyone says or what happens to us now; we made the right decision coming here today! Roo was right, this _is_ the right thing to do. You can leave if you want, I won’t make fun of you for it. But I’m not abandoning these people to **die,** not when we can _save_ them!” she said fiercely, not catching the warm smile that spread across Steve’s face at her words.

  


“What in God’s name _**is**_ this contraption?” Falsworth asked, nonplussed.

“No idea. It seems to be powered by that big machine there. Actually, I think Stark’s mentioned something like this before. Something he was working on with that Turing fellow. I think it’s called…computer? It computes things.” Ama said thoughtfully.

“Computer…” he repeated, awed. “What do you think it’s computing?” he said curiously.

“Only one way to find out, right?” she said casually, pressing a large button on the front of the machine’s control panel. Engines roared to life as a screen opened on the front of the dome. “Damn. This thing takes some juice to run, doesn’t it?” she muttered.

There was a scream of pain from somewhere below them and they both jumped, drawing their weapons. “What was that?!” Falsworth whispered.

“Oh, no! We’re idiots, why didn’t we think of this?! Eryn said they were extracting something from Number Seven. What if this machine here is what’s doing the extracting, and the demands of this computer are what it’s trying to meet?!” she asked, horrified.

“Shit! How do we turn it off?!” Falsworth panicked, patting down the control panel.

“Like this, maybe?” Ama suggested, pulling the pin on a grenade and shoving into one of the massive cooling fans. They ducked behind another console, covering their ears against the blast which rocked the compound. The screaming stopped. “Nice! We fixed it!” she said brightly, examining the smoking ruin of the computer proudly.

“I think that’s the exact _opposite_ of what we just did.” he pointed out.

“Worked, didn’t it? Come on, I think I know where that Master Switch is!” she said brightly, leading him on.

  


Eryn’s knees gave way beneath her and she collapsed, giving an awful howl of grief.

“ **NO MORE!** Please, no more of this! It hurts…it hurts _so much!_ I just want to go home! Haven’t we done enough already?!” she screamed, pulling at her own hair. Bucky opened his mouth to say something, but thought better of it, simply handing her the old helmet Ethelbert had been wearing.

“Don’t give up.” Erik said quietly. She turned to stare at him, eyes shining.

“Don’t give up. That’s what the Red Man wants. It’s not what your grandfather would have wanted, though.” he said simply.

She nodded, taking a few deep breaths to steady herself.

“Seven told us you would come back. He said you’d come to free us. We all believed it, and he was right. But the humans who hurt us – they must’ve heard the alarm too. They’re going to come after us and kill us if we don’t fight back.” he said worriedly.

“Don’t worry about it kid, we’re here to protect you. We’re not gonna let that happen.” Bucky assured him.

A scream from the other end of the corridor startled the three of them.

“That was…Seven’s voice! Don’t tell me someone turned on the extraction machine?!” Roo said fearfully, taking off at a run down the corridor.

Eventually, they reached an enormous set of metal doors at the end just as the screaming died off.

“What is this? Is this whole big thing just for one cell?!” Barnes asked, shocked.

“Yes. It’s Seven’s cell. You…you should get out of here. Go and find Ama, if you can. Things are about to get really bad out here. Don’t worry about us from here on out. We can handle it.” she said firmly as she and Erik donned their helmets.

“I don’t like it, but I’ll do it. Don’t end up dead, okay?” Bucky called over his shoulder as he sprinted back up the corridor.

“Same goes for you! I won’t forgive you if you die!” Eryn shouted back.

“If this goes wrong, _**we**_ might die.” Erik reminded her.

“Thanks, Lehnsherr. You’re a real ray of sunshine.” she said sarcastically. An alarm blared out across the compound and there was an awful groan as the metal doors began to open slowly.

The room inside was dimly lit and gloomy, water running down the walls from condensation. They stepped in cautiously, approaching the strange contraption in the middle of the room.

“What is this?” Erik asked curiously.

“It’s a sensory deprivation chamber. It’s what they use to hold Scharfrichters. For someone like Seven, who’s spent most of his imprisonment in one of these, it’s not gonna be easy to adjust to life outside the box. But we can’t just leave him here. Brace yourself.” Roo cautioned, pressing a button on the side of the tank. It hissed open, the lid lifting off to reveal the Scharfrichter within.

An unhealthily pale, heart shaped face greeted them in gentle repose, the movement of the dreamer’s eyes under their lids giving away the Originator’s state of mind.

“Still sleeping? You can’t stay like this forever, pal. We’ve got to get you out of here. It’s time to wake up.” Eryn said softly, leaning forwards to disturb the black water with the tips of her fingers.

Seven’s eyes snapped open, fixing her with a wide-eyed stare. He blinked out of sync, first the turquoise eye on the left, then the gold on the right. His pupils constricted until they were cat-like slits, and he sat up quickly, the movement causing water to slosh onto the floor.

“Easy, Tokori! Slow down a little. You’re alright.” she soothed, trying not to give away her distaste at the emaciated state of his body.

“How long was I asleep for?” Seven asked, voice hoarse from disuse.

“I don’t know. A couple of days, maybe? You always were a heavy sleeper.” she said with a shrug.

“You…why are you here?” he asked, frowning.

“You don’t remember? You sent Erik after me.” she reminded him.

“To lead the Allies to Hades. Not you. _Never_ you! I wanted you as far away from this place as possible! Why did you come _**back?**_ ” he demanded.

“Because you needed me. You still do, if you wanna get out of here alive. Besides, we’re brothers, right? I couldn’t just leave you down here to die. Can you stand?” she asked.

“I can try. If you’re here…then it means the liberation of Hades has begun. I have to do my part, or we’ll never escape this place.” he said seriously, carefully standing and stepping out of the tank.

Roo winced a the sight of his painfully thin body, criss-crossed with scars and burns that were unlikely to ever heal fully. A large, dark brand stuck out against her mind, and she found it difficult to look away.

“I’m sorry.” she said earnestly.

“For what?” he asked, confused.

“For taking so long to come back.” she replied, ashamed.

“But you _did_ come back. You didn’t have to, yet you risked not only your life, but the lives of your friends to return and free us all. That’s what matters to me. It’s been ten years since I walked the Earth freely. It’ll be good to taste the fresh air again. Come, Reclaimer; we have work to do.” he said with a smile, catching his helmet out of the air when Erik levitated it over to him.

“ **The time for Heaven’s Judgement has come.”**

  


“Ugh. The air smells so bad down here…you think they ever let these guys out?” Morita asked, wrinkling his nose against the cruel scent of stale damp air and rust, mingled with something vaguely metallic and animal.

“I doubt it. Unless they’re needed above ground, they’re probably kept down here all the time. Some of them might not have seen the sun for years. Imagine that…not even being able to do something as simple as look up at the sky. You look up here, all you’re gonna get is an eyeful of rust stains on a concrete slab. This is what we came here to destroy. It’s what we came here to free them from. Nobody deserves to live like this.” Mags said angrily.

“They’re being treated worse than animals. I mean, I was expecting it to be _bad_ , but no matter what I came up with…this is worse. This is **far** worse.” Gabe said unhappily.

“I certainly won’t have any trouble saying goodbye to this place. And I’m bettin’ most of those Variants are inclined to agree. This is the last switch, right? We pull this, and every cell block is loose.” Dugan said warily.

“Oui.” Jacques said idly.

“And then every Variant in this entire facility is gonna go ham on any human they can find.” Jim pointed out.

“Yep.” Steve said calmly.

“You got a plan for that?” Dugan asked.

“ _ **Run**_ is the plan.” Maggie answered.

“Good plan. I like it. Simple, easy to remember.” Gabe enthused.

“Alright then, Buttercup – go ahead and pull the switch.” Dum-Dum encouraged.

Mags reached for the switch, freezing when she felt a pistol against the side of her head.

“Move away and drop your weapons or I pull the trigger.” the HYDRA soldier snarled. Reluctantly, the other Commandos did as they were told. Maggie remained still, contemplating the best way to disarm her opponent. He shuddered suddenly, and she frowned.

“What’s the matter? Getting cold feet now your boss is after having you blow a girl’s head off?” she sniped. He didn’t respond, choking on something and gasping for breath as his whole body thrashed violently.

“Uh…what? Is he having a fit?” Morita asked, unsure whether to intervene or not.

“Somehow, I get the feeling that this is something much worse.” Mags said apprehensively, backing away when the guard coughed up blood.

“Hey! What the hell’s going on?!” Steve hissed, pulling Maggie away as the guard gave a groan of pain. With an awful, organic crunching sound, something pale and thin burst out of the unfortunate soldier’s stomach.

“I-is that an arm?” Mags asked faintly, watching with horror as the fingers on the end of the limb twitched and the soldier gave a gurgling sob of agony. The arm swung back suddenly, pushing against the soldier’s body until another arm sprung from his mouth and he fell silent. The Commandos scrambled to pick up their weapons as the creature within continued to pull at it’s organic prison until it rent the upper body in two, freeing it’s own top half.

The emergent figure seemed almost humanoid in form, skin pale save for where it’s host’s blood trickled, forming rivulets of crimson on pure white. It crossed it’s arms over it’s chest as if hugging itself, arching it’s neck and turning what should have been a face towards them. Instead of any sort of features, it bore instead a cross shaped aperture which it appeared to use for breathing. It gave a slightly mournful coo as it peered around the room, reaching forward and pulling the switch.

“Oh. Thanks. Er…I hope you don’t mind my asking, but what the hell just happened? Are you a Variant?” Maggie asked tremulously, praying her voice sounded steadier than she felt.

The creature turned to look at her briefly, reaching forward and pressing a long finger to the end of her nose before quickly retracting it’s hand.

For some reason, this appeared to amuse it, and it gave a happy hum that reverberated through their chests.

“Well. You don’t seem so bad.” she said bravely, picking up the guard’s discarded pistol from in amongst the gore.

Instead of answering, the creature turned it’s face skyward and let out a deafening, almost painful scream.

As soon as the sound tailed off, there was an uproar of coughing, gurgling and shouts of pain as soldiers across the cell block began to succumb to whatever was trying to tear it’s way out of them. Job done, the creature pulled off the lower half of the HYDRA soldier as one might remove a pair of trousers, throwing it aside in favour of standing for itself on uncannily long, digitigrade limbs.

A pair of feathered wings unfolded from it’s back, and the creature responded by shaking itself free of blood like a dog might water, dousing the Commandos unintentionally.

“Oh. I get it. You’re one of the Angels Erik mentioned, aren’t you?” Steve prompted, remembering suddenly.

The Angel gave no indication that it had heard, instead giving a loud chirp. At once, dozens of equally pale, gangly creatures began to scale down the walls and enter the room, crouching or sitting patiently as if waiting for orders. The newcomers were smaller than the other Angel, and wore either a horizontal or vertical facial slit instead of a cross. None of them had wings.

“Right, the kid said one of the guards had been implanted with a ‘Seraph’s Egg’. So you must be the Seraph, right?” Rogers asked. Again the creature ignored him, instead looking to Mags expectantly.

“You know what we’re here for. We have to destroy it. We have to tear this place apart. The other Variants are already hard at work wiping out HYDRA. We have to be just as good! Anyone who doesn’t kill a HYDRA soldier…gets no dinner!” she bluffed, unable to hide a snort at the dismayed chirruping that ran around the room.

“Yeah, that’s right! So everyone do your best, okay? Let’s go give ‘em hell! Or heaven, you know, whatever we’re supposed to be here.” she said brightly, breaking into a run and laughing when the troupe of bizarre beings followed her like a stampede.

  


“What the hell _**are**_ those things?” Falsworth asked nervously as he and Ama hid behind a desk, watching as a pair of the pale apparitions stalked the corridor outside.

“How the hell should I know?! I’ve never seen anything remotely like that before! Are those the Angels Erik was talking about?! They’re **terrifying!** ” the medic whispered back.

“If Biblical angels look anything like that, it’s no wonder they say ‘Be not afraid’ whenever they turn up! What now?” he wondered.

“You’re the tactician, think of something!” she puffed, both of them ducking back behind the desk when the door opened and yelping when someone peered over the top.

“Hey. Come on. What’re you hiding back here for?” Bucky asked, raising an eyebrow.

“I’m sorry, did you miss the _eight foot tall towering abominations_ outside the door?” Falsworth asked irately.

“Yeah, they let me in. They seemed worried that you guys hadn’t come outside yet. Come on, we gotta go.” Barnes said simply, extending a hand to Ama.

Meekly, she took it and allowed herself to be lead out to where the Angels were waiting. One made a curious clicking noise, but gave no other indications of interest.

As they sped out the door, Ama slipped in something and had to seize Bucky’s jacket to stop herself falling over. “Careful! Are you okay?” he asked.

“Ah, yeah. What the hell did I slip in? Is there oil on the floor?” she asked, shining her light down to reveal what could only be described as a pile of innards, with a HYDRA soldier’s head sitting atop. She cried out and Bucky clamped a hand over her mouth.

“Shh! Quietly, now! We don’t want the Variants to see us. Some of them strike me as the ‘attack first, ask questions later’ type, and I can’t exactly _blame_ them. Stay low and keep quiet.” He said softly, ducking behind a car. They hadn’t got far before someone hissed to get their attention.

“Oi! Bucky, Ama! Over here!” Mags whispered.

“Maggie! What the hell is going on out here?!” Ama demanded, recoiling at the sight of the enormous Seraph behind her.

“I don’t know. We got out here just in time to see the _end_ of the bloodbath. The HYDRA soldiers came out in force, but the Varianten and their Angels fucking **obliterated** them. Not even just killed, they wiped them out _completely._ I don’t know how many guys HYDRA have left, but it can’t be a lot.” Maggie reasoned.

“Somehow, we’ve got to run the gauntlet of HYDRA soldiers and seriously pissed off Varianten to get out of here. What’ve you guys done with Roo, anyway?” Falsworth asked.

“She and the kid went to find Seven. They haven’t come back yet. I don’t know where they are and I haven’t seen ‘em since. To be honest with you, they’re probably the ones in the _least_ danger right now. Let’s face it – we’re the ones in trouble.” Barnes said flatly.

Something landed on the car, crushing the roof as it did and making them all jump.

“So _this_ is where you’ve been hiding. Things are about to get really messy, so you’d better get out of here fast.” Roo’s voice came from under the unfamiliar helmet, surprising them.

“Eryn? That’s you under there?” Maggie asked incredulously.

“Yeah. This was my original helmet before I got my special light-up Scharfrichter one. I’m glad I found it, it’s much cooler than the new one anyway. Take these – they’re spares, and you’re gonna need them so you don’t get hit by stray bullets. They’re only good for one shot though.” She elaborated, throwing them each a plain metal helmet.

“What about Seven?” Ama asked.

Erik peeked out from behind the car, dutifully aiding the limping Originator as he headed towards the Commandos.

“Good god, man! When was the last time you _**ate?!**_ ” the medic squeaked, leading him to sit on the car’s bonnet.

“I don’t remember. HYDRA have been feeding me via drip for years. Enough to keep me alive, but no more. I’m not the only one who’s been starved, but I think I’m the worst of it.” Seven said wearily.

“You shouldn’t even be moving!” Ama said irritably as he stood again.

“But I can still **fight**. And I will. As will the others.” he said simply.

“How long until the tanks get here?” Steve asked.

“Not for another fifteen minutes at least. That’s far too long. HYDRA’s bringing out the big guns and grouping their reinforcements for a final assault on Hades. We can’t afford to wait for the heavy hitters on our side to show up.” Eryn said bluntly.

Another Variant approached, apparently suspended in the air by long, black tendrils bearing vicious spines. “Reclaimer. The HYDRA forces are massing on the Western gate. They’re trying to stop us leaving.” he explained, his voice giving him away as the Variant Maggie had spoken to earlier.

“It’s good to see you again, Vereshegan. Are the young ones safe?” Roo asked.

“Yes. We have the little ones hidden in one of the more armoured bunkers.” Vereshegan replied dutifully.

“Good work. Bring everyone who can fight out here, get them to form a line. If it’s a fight HYDRA wants, that’s what they’re gonna get. No illusions, no second chances – this time, we’re fighting for our _lives_.” she said seriously. He nodded, and headed back the way he came.

Seven shifted slightly. “You’ve matured somewhat.” he commented.

“Shut up. As soon as you’re healed, I’m kicking your ass.” she said furiously.

“Oh? If you’re so sure you’ll win, why wait?” he asked aloofly.

“I don’t fight cripples. Quit joking around and focus. If you die, everything we’ve fought for is null and void anyway!” she snarled.

Seven turned back to the Commandos. “I won’t lie. The situation is dire. We could use any help you’re able to give us. Understand this: the moment you put those helmets on, you’re making a choice to fight alongside us. It’s a sign that you’re willing to risk your lives for our freedom, for our right to exist. Eryn tells me you’ve faced many trials to get this far, but there is a strong possibility you may **not** survive this one. If you join us, it will be as brothers in arms. Should you fight for us and live, you will be remembered as heroes for your deeds. Should you fall, we will remember and honour you as martyrs, as we would our own. The decision is your own.” he said solemnly, pausing when he noticed that every single Commando had donned their helmet.

“Sorry. I was listening until the ‘but’.” Mags said mildly, spinning her pistol.

“Any friend of Eryn’s is a friend of ours. We’re with you to the end of the line, pal.” Bucky said with a shrug.

“Looks like they’re ready for us. Everyone is in position, Originator. Shall I give the order?” Eryn asked.

“No need, Reclaimer. This time, it will be my honour to declare war myself. Let it be known that this is the last day of Hades! No long will we bow before HYDRA! No longer shall we be slaves to their will! Today, it ends! _**VARIANTS, ADVANCE!**_ ” Seven called, the sound seeming to come from both inside their heads and outside all at once.

They began to move forwards, the Angels running ahead of them and the Seraph taking wing, soaring above them to direct a fiery beam from the cross-shaped segment on it’s face, raining holy fire down on the awaiting soldiers.

As one, the Variants and Commandos threw themselves into the fray, Eryn vanishing between portals only to appear behind soldiers and slit their throats with a machete while Mags also took to the air and hailed bullets down onto their enemies from above.

Ama simply punched aside anyone stupid enough to challenge her, shooting those she couldn’t reach physically.

Seven cleared an enormous swathe all by himself, his targets smashing into smears against the ground apparently of their own accord.

Within minutes the fight was won, the Angels chasing the few fleeing soldiers into the forest and tearing them apart. The Seraph hung back for a moment, turning to look directly at Magnolia.

“What are you waiting for? Go on, go get them!” she encouraged, and the Seraph flew off with a happy trill, following it’s brethren.

“So. That’s that dealt with. What happens now?” Ama wondered.

“What happens is we take everyone back to the mansion, figure out our next move from there. After all, we still have a week and a half of holiday left over. I doubt the Angels will want to come with us, though.” Roo said with a shrug.

“Let them be free. They are young, and they have a whole world to explore. We will spend our time recuperating and planning our return to Acharoa.” Seven said decisively.

“More importantly, you! Since when did you know how to fly?!” Ama huffed, glaring at Mags.

“Huh? What are you talking about? I just jumped really high, that’s all.” Maggie said casually.

“You were _fifteen feet in the air!_ I think that counts as flying, Lia!” Steve agreed.

“Are you telling me you learned how to fly and _**DIDN’T ACTUALLY NOTICE?!**_ ” Roo asked incredulously.

“Hahaha! Sounds like you guys are having fun down there! And by the looks of it, you don’t need the tanks after all!” Stark called jovially over the radio.

“Wrong again, Howie. We’re still gonna need a lift for two thousand tired, malnourished Variants.” Eryn corrected.

“I-I’m sorry?” Howard said weakly.

“Don’t apologise, just get moving! I’m tired now, I want to go home!” she squawked.

 


	16. In The Aftermath, A Requiem

“How’s he doing?” Roo asked, watching with concern as Ama carefully attached Seven to a drip.

“He’s gonna be fine. I’m knocking him out for a few hours to reduce the amount of energy he’s expending while I get some nutrients into him. By tomorrow, he should be able to at the very least eat solid foods again. He’s going to be a little woozy, but at least he’ll be _**alive**_. I’m not kidding when I say he was at Death’s door when you brought him in. A lot of the others are suffering from malnutrition, but this is the **worst** case I’ve ever seen in my entire life. Looks like HYDRA were starving him in an effort to kill him off slowly because they couldn’t do it by force.” the medic said with a frown, paying close attention to the drip as it began to trail liquid into the Originator’s arm.

“You saw that mark on his back, right? Is that something all the prisoners have?” Bucky wondered.

“No. We all have a number printed somewhere on our bodies – makes it easier to identify us when we die. But having HYDRA’s symbol burned onto your back is a _unique privilege_ reserved for those who survive the Scharfrichter training. Mine’s special – I come with my own warning label.” Eryn explained, loosening her blouse enough that it dropped down her back, revealing the top of the HYDRA’s skull and a series of strange letters above it, spelling out the word **ᚹᚨᛚᚲᛃᚱᛁᛖ.**

“Oh! I know that! That’s the Elder Futhark!” Mags exclaimed. The Commandos turned to stare at her. “What?! I like history!” she huffed.

“Yes, it’s a transliteration of the word ‘Valkyrie’. Every soldier in HYDRA knows what that means. It served as a caution that anyone who caused me any _lasting_ damage would face the consequences. Namely, Schmidt himself.” Roo said bitterly. Seven shifted slightly.

“Eryn.” he mumbled.

“Yeah? What’s the matter?” she prompted.

“I love you.” he slurred.

“That’s the drugs talking, buddy. Go to sleep.” she said with a sigh as Ama stifled a giggle.

“No, I mean it. You’re my best friend…and the closest thing I have to a family. We’re…we’re still brothers, aren’t we? Even without him?” he asked sadly.

“Always. Things haven’t changed because it’s just the two of us. But I really need you to get some sleep, else Ama will yell at me. You’ll feel better when you wake up, I promise.” she soothed.

He nodded weakly, closing his eyes and drifting off almost immediately. “Poor bastard.” Dugan said sympathetically.

“You’ve no idea. He’s been incredibly strong for the sake of the other Variants. At this point, all we can do is hope his strength holds out. They need a leader, and he’s the closest thing we’ve got. He will lead them home.” she said faithfully.

“Who’s the other guy he was talking about? Something about a brother?” Steve asked suspiciously.

“It’s not literal. It’s…he’s talking about the Third Scharfrichter. Once, there were hundreds of us. Most of them were lost during the push East. But Seven, me and Unit Two-Zero-Four-Nine were all ‘born’ at around the same time. HYDRA wanted to see how we interacted amongst ourselves, so we spent a lot of time in group observation. We became good friends, and promised to protect each other. The third unit was born with an exceptionally powerful ability – _photonic manipulation_. In layman’s terms, he was able to bend light or the lack thereof to his will. He was a shadow manipulator.” Eryn began.

“ **WHAT?!** That sounds like an awesome power!” Mags said jealously.

“You can _fly_.” Ama deadpanned.

“She’s right, though. It’s extremely rare; according to Seven there’s only one other person in all of recorded history who was born with that power. He could’ve let it get to his head, and I expected him to be very intense and frightening. But he wasn’t.” Roo said, breaking out into a genuine smile at the memory.

“The guy was a _total pushover!_ Friendly, kind, mild-mannered, genuine and he had a heart of gold. He was the exact opposite of what you’d expect from someone so powerful! He was a gentle soul who hated fighting and always kept up a positive attitude. We were in hell, but he kept us going with stories of what we’d do once we reached the surface. He never let things get him down, even though by rights he should’ve been the one suffering most out of all of us. Someone so full of love and light…a spirit so strong even HYDRA couldn’t snuff it out. He reminded me of the friends I’d left behind. But then…everything changed.” she said, face falling.

“What happened?” Peggy asked softly.

“It all kicked off the day the first Hades fell. That demon Reinhardt! We weren’t even allowed to have one little light in the dark without him trying his utmost to put it out! The good _Doktor_ came up with an experiment. The chances of surviving were iffy, and it would cause excruciating pain in the subject, possibly permanently. All this to test a damn theory. Reinhardt promised that if anyone came forward, if anyone volunteered, then he’d spare the rest of us. If no one agreed of their own volition, he’d put us all through it anyway. Before any of us had the chance…before he’d even finished his sentence…Two-Zero-Four-Nine stepped forward. I think it shocked even Reinhardt that he would sacrifice himself so willingly. We tried to protest, we _**all**_ tried to protest…but they dragged our friend off anyway.” she said bitterly.

“That’s not your fault. You and Seven can’t blame yourselves for that.” Fresno pointed out.

“Maybe not. In any case, there was uproar in the cells. Our friend was very popular, and nobody was happy that he was being tortured for our perceived benefit. Then something happened that I’ve never felt before or since. The air became filled with some kind of energy, almost electrified. We knew then that something had gone terribly wrong. I don’t remember much. Thinking back that far makes my brain feel like it’s full of static. Loud static. I remember the screaming. All of us, all at once at the top of our lungs. It wasn’t pain that we felt, it was frustration. Our inability to save the person most precious to us…it gave us the ability to break free. And we did. It quickly turned into a massacre. The guards didn’t stand a chance. Seven and I ran to the testing chambers as fast as we could, but by the time we got there, it was too late. What had happened was irreversible. All I know is that at that moment, both our friend and Umbrae, his Scharfrichter, ceased to exist.” she said heavily.

“I’m sorry.” Steve said gently.

“For what? I don’t remember at all what happened after that, but apparently Seven and I somehow combined our abilities in such a way that we were able to bring down Hades. Most of the other Variants escaped, but we were too weak to move in the aftermath. We got captured again and sent off to the new Hades. I remember waking up with Reinhardt standing over me, talking to me. He seemed both angry and sad, but I couldn’t understand his words. I existed in a fugue state for over a month. At one point, Schmidt and Zola thought I’d never recover. I can only imagine that Seven suffered something similar. Either way, our combined might proved stronger than any of us had ever imagined. After that, Project AVALON was born. I was taken away and had my memories buried to make way for something new, in the hopes I’d never go near Tokori again. But you changed things. You broke the cycle and set me free. In doing so, we were able to free everybody else, too. I don’t think you quite understand what you’ve done. All of Variantkind owes you an unpayable debt. Me included.” she said solemnly.

“Your friend, the one who died. What was his name?” Bucky asked.

“I don’t remember.” she replied hollowly.

“Then who’s Tokori? I don’t remember you mentioning that name before now.” Mags pointed out.

Roo pointed to Seven, still lying dead asleep on the bed. “That’s him. Seven is just his serial number. His real name is Tokori Vars Tokitae.”

  


“Geez! I can’t go anywhere without almost running into a Variant kid!” Bucky complained as two children ran past him, laughing loudly.

“They’ve got a lot of energy considering they almost died yesterday.” Ama said warmly.

“It’s a good job you and Morita are taking it in turns to check everybody over. You’re gonna be exhausted by the end of the day.” he warned.

“I know. But it’s worth it. Look at them all. We saved the lives of almost three thousand people yesterday, most of them children. Look how happy they are! Running around, playing in the light, lying in the grass…some of them probably haven’t seen the sun in years. **This** is what it’s all about, Buck – securing a future for the children that exist now, so that they don’t have to go through what we went through to get this far.” she said happily.

“I don’t think I’ve ever seen you look so proud. You should be like this more often; you do incredible things every day.” he said fondly, kissing her on the cheek and taking her hand.

“All my life, all I wanted was to make a difference. To help people who weren’t able to help themselves. When you’re at war, it doesn’t make much difference. You do what you can to keep people alive, and it doesn’t always work. But seeing this…in this moment, right now, I finally feel like it’s all _**worth**_ it. Everything we’ve been through, all the pain and suffering we endured over the years…that’s nothing compared to this. For the first time in my life, I feel like I’ve really, truly done something.” she said emotionally, watching as one of the older Variants picked up one of the children and swung them round, both laughing loud enough to be heard from indoors.

“We did good, Red. We did real good. Just this once, we all got out alive. It’s a shame Ethelbert didn’t make it, but…somehow, I think he’d consider it a worthwhile sacrifice if it meant saving this. And I get the feeling your friend Erskine would’ve felt the same way.” Bucky said supportively.

She nodded mutely, wiping her eyes quickly. “Ahh, come on, Lis! Don’t cry! You should be happy!” he said, dismayed.

“I _**am**_ happy. Happier than I have been in a long time. Maybe happier than I’ve ever been. I love you.” she said honestly.

He smiled at that. “I know. I love you too. Come on, while we’re out here I’m gonna teach you how to use a knife. Since we’re down an artilleryman, we’ve got a bigger chance of getting into fistfights with HYDRA. And now they’ve got a huge chip on their shoulder because we released all their prisoners. I want you to know how to protect yourself.” he said brightly, leading her out into the warm sunshine and finding a safe spot free of wayward Variants.

“I don’t know about this, Buck…” she said nervously.

“Don’t worry about it. We’ll start with spoons so we don’t accidentally stab each other. Now, if someone comes at you with a knife and you have no weapon, what’s your instinctive reaction?” he asked, throwing her a teaspoon.

“Putting my arms up to protect my face and vitals.” Ama said, spinning the teaspoon to get a feel for the weight.

“Exactly. But that can be a huge blunder, ‘cause you’ve still got some important blood vessels there. You get hit going down the inside of the wrist, you’re in real trouble and you’re gonna bleed out in about fifteen minutes if you don’t get medical attention. What you want to do is still lift your arms – but _**under**_ theirs. Aim for the elbows if you can, knock their arms up. The shock of a joint bending the wrong way is usually enough to get someone to drop whatever they’re holding. Then you’ve got a chance to grab it before they re-arm themselves, but you gotta be quick because it’s only a second or so of a window. Now, I’m gonna come at you slowly, pretend like I’m trying to stab you. I want you to try and disarm me like we talked about, okay?” he instructed.

She nodded, tucking the spoon into her belt and taking a wider stance. Very slowly, he moved forward, thrusting his spoon out as soon as she was in range. Equally slowly, she raised her arms, crossed at the wrist, to knock his arm up at the elbow.

“Yeah, like that! Obviously, the guy trying to kill you isn’t gonna be coming at you in slow motion, so we’re gonna pick up the pace a little.” Bucky encouraged, backing off again before repeating the attack slightly faster. She responded faster than before, but still in time with his movements.

“Good! You’re picking this up really fast. I’m gonna go a little quicker again this time.” He cautioned. Again, she brought her arms up to meet him, actually jolting his arm with the force of the hit this time.

“ _ **AGH!**_ Alright, that’s my fault. Should probably be using the other hand…” he said with a wince, grimacing at the pain in his shoulder.

“S-sorry! Was that too much?” she yelped.

“No, _you’re_ doing fine. I didn’t think about it, but using my bad arm to teach you this stuff probably isn’t the greatest idea.” He said flatly.

“Well, I wasn’t gonna say anything, but you’re not wrong.” She said with a grin, sliding her arms around his waist.

“If this is the kind of treatment I’m gonna get every time I hurt myself, maybe I should get in firefights more often.” He said playfully.

“Don’t you dare! You already took one bullet for me. That’s more than enough.” She said softly, resting her head on his chest.

There was a snigger from somewhere behind them, and they both cried out when they were swept off their feet, Ama landing heavily on Bucky as his back hit the grass.

“HEY! You little turd! Get back here!” Barnes yelled ineffectively after the giggling child, who ran off to the safety of another nearby Variant.

“NAHAHA! Let them have their fun! You sure have a way with kids, don’t you?” Ama teased.

“Shut up. You sure as hell best not be planning on having any of those.” he puffed.

“No! No, _**God**_ no. It’s tough enough keeping you lot out of trouble, I don’t need to be adding kids to the mix! I already feel like an unpaid babysitter most days!” she groaned, making him laugh.

“Hey, Red?” he prompted.

“Hm?”

“Let’s just stay like this for a while.”

Ama smiled at his suggestion. “Sounds like a plan to me, Sergeant.” she said happily, kissing him gently.

  


“Manfred? Your grandfather’s old automaton?” Howard asked dubiously, raising an eyebrow.

“Yes.” Roo said patiently.

“And he said he holds the key to ending HYDRA. What could that mean?” Peggy wondered.

“I don’t know. Knowing how paranoid the old man was, it’s probably a riddle designed to make sure none of you know what he’s talking about. Unfortunately for us, I don’t either. Hell, I don’t even know if Manny still works! I haven’t turned him back on since Dad threw him in the fire. We’ve got no guarantee that whatever he knows is still in there.” she said with a sigh.

“Well you won’t know unless you try, will you? Do you know where he is?” Carter asked.

“I…yeah. Yeah, I do. You’re right. I’ll go and check him out, see if I can get the old boy talking again.” the Valkyrie said with a resigned sigh, heading out of the workshop and past the library. In a nook by the window stood a faceless black mannequin behind a pane of glass. The right arm was missing, melted off at the elbow. Slowly, she slid the pane open.

“Hey, Manny. It’s been a while. I don’t know if you can hear me, but if you can, I need your help. Grandfather sent me to wake you up. Please don’t pinch my fingers.” she muttered, leaning forward and hooking a finger under the back of the mannequin’s head. Between the head and the neck was a small switch which she flipped, withdrawing her hand quickly. The mannequin shuddered and there was a loud beep.

With a click, the mannequin turned it’s head to focus on her, joints clicking as it attempted to move. “…Boss?” he asked in a staticky, electronic voice. She smiled.

“Yeah, it’s me. Come on, we’ve got work to do.” she said briskly, leading him away.

  


“An automaton. You cannot be serious.” Steve said flatly, gaping open-mouthed at the miraculously moving mannequin before them.

“I’d quite forgotten about Manfred.” Ama said with a sigh.

“Makes sense to choose him as a hiding place. Think about it – who’d look in the crappy old broken mannequin behind the glass?” Mags said with a grin.

“You said he had a way to beat HYDRA. What is it?” the Colonel asked abruptly.

“I’m afraid it’s not quite that simple. Manfred himself isn’t much use apart from what he can offer as a shield in times of war.” Roo said seriously.

“Hey!” Manny protested, making most of the Commandos jump.

“Whatever it is he has, my Grandfather’s hidden it somewhere deep down in Manfred’s memory, far further down than he can actually access. The secret lies inside Manny’s brain, but we don’t currently possess the technology to read it. Ethelbert intended this to be the solution to HYDRA – but he never said it would be _**immediate.**_ I think if we were able to plug Manfred into the HERACLES unit, we’d be able to do it. But in order to power the HERACLES, we need a voluntary power source, and I’m not about to ask anyone to do that.” she said flatly.

“What’s a voluntary power source?” Dugan asked. Howard looked away.

“…There exists in this universe a power we know only as LIF. It’s an acronym that stands for ‘Life’s Integral Formula’. It was discovered in a joint project between my Grandfather and Howie’s. During the Great War, they designed and built machines which ran off LIF.” she explained, opening a compartment on Manfred’s midriff and handing Steve a set of images of an enormous mechanical man towering over a battlefield.

“Good God…” Falsworth murmured.

“Some thought so. LIF appears to be the most efficient and renewable source of energy in existence, aside from the Tesseract.” she elaborated.

“So why don’t we use it for everything? Surely that’d give us the leg-up on Schmidt? What’s the catch?” Ama said suspiciously.

“The catch is that LIF is only produced by _**living beings**_. As the name implies, it’s some kind of life-energy that even creatures as small as bacteria give off. A human can give off enough of this stuff to power and entire city for a week.” Stark added.

“By extracting it, you’re essentially pushing someone closer to death. In Originators, who never truly die, it simply weakens them temporarily, but for a human…well, the consequences can be pretty devastating. HERACLES was designed so that old, weak or sick men could fight in war alongside their brothers. It was a great honour for them to serve and die as pilots, sacrificing themselves to rain ruin down on their enemies. These were ordinary men, men like Steve was before he met Erskine. They gave everything to protect us, so we should be grateful. However, eventually they began running out of sick soldiers…so they resorted to using healthy ones. All voluntary, of course! But when Ethelbert found out, he was disgusted. He pulled the plug on the program and dumped HERACLES in the lab under the house. He wasn’t comfortable with cutting short the lives of men who could’ve had a chance to live if they’d fought on the front lines. He came back home, shifted his focus to making automatons like Manfred instead. Grandpa Stark started working on trying to build a self-sustaining power source that could be used in place of LIF.” Eryn said with a frown.

“Only problem is, we still don’t have the technology to do that either. The Arc Reactor program is light years away from being completed. Without that there’s no way to even power HERACLES up unless we have a voluntary power source.” Howard said with a sigh.

“Meaning?” Bucky prompted.

“Meaning someone has to die to turn it on.” Eryn finished.

There was a long, sustained silence as they slowly processed her words.

“That’s horrifying.” Peggy said eventually.

“I know. What’s the point in that? Killing someone on our side just to get the damn robot working…isn’t that sort of thing what we’ve been trying to prevent this while time? No, HERACLES is out of the question. I won’t even consider using it. Sorry, Colonel; it looks like this was a dead end after all.” Roo said unhappily.

“Ain’t your fault. Shoulda known it wouldn’t be that easy. Never is. We’ll just have to focus on kickin’ the crap outta Schmidt and his goons first.” Phillips said firmly.

  


“Are you really sure you should leave?” Ama asked anxiously, fretting over every Variant within her reach as they headed out into the garden.

“I’m quite sure. It’s not safe for us to linger here too long. We know the way home. Thank you for all your help. All of you.” Seven said warmly, flashing them all a genuine smile.

“You should do that more often. You don’t look half as scary when you smile.” Bucky said with a grin.

“Perhaps you ought to learn to take your own advice, Sergeant Barnes.” the Originator said aloofly, and the Commandos laughed as the grin slid off Bucky’s face.

Seven turned to Roo, tilting his head slightly. “Reclaimer. Are you coming?” he asked.

She shook her head. “Not this time, Tokori. Someday I will, but there’s something I gotta do first. This is my mess; I have to stay behind and clear it up. After that, I’ll come find you. I promise. Don’t worry about me, though. I’ll be okay! After all, I’ve got these guys to watch my back! You just make sure you watch yours.”

He nodded. “I’ll hold you to that, my friend. It seems we both have promises to keep. I will await you on Acharoa. I too have things I want to finish.” he said happily.

“You sure you’re gonna be okay in that body? I’ll be honest, I thought you would’ve canned it by now.” she said flatly.

“I considered it, but…this is the body I inhabited when Hades was liberated. It was this body that Mordred held. As fragile as I may be, I believe this form will suffice until my current mission is completed.” he replied.

“Yanno, you could just say ‘yes’.” she muttered under her breath.

“AHAHAHA! Ahh, I’m going to miss you! Don’t be too long, Eryn.” he said softly.

“I’ll do my best not to keep you waiting. I know how much you hate that. Take care of the others for me, will you? Especially Erik. He’s been very brave.” she said, voice breaking slightly.

“Oi, oi. Don’t cry! You’ll set me off!” Mags said hastily, eyes shining.

“Hah. It’s a beautiful night tonight. Reminds me of when we met, all those years ago. Ah, but listen to me, reminiscing like an old man!” he said lightly.

“You **are** old.” Eryn said bluntly, and he laughed again.

“I suppose that’s true! We’ll take our leave, then. Wouldn’t want to keep Acharoa waiting. Take care of each other, won’t you? I wish you all every happiness.” he said sincerely, taking the hands of the Variants nearest him. They did the same to the next and so on, until all of them were holding hands and forming a great chain.

“Goodbye, my friends. May your Gods grant you victory in everything you do.” he said kindly, and within an instant all of the liberated Variants had disappeared.

“WHAT THE HELL?! He teleports too?! And he took all those guys with him! There were thousands!” Gabe squawked.

“Yeah, he does that. Just goes to show the power of an Originator. Now that’s all over with, I guess our holiday is too.” Roo said glumly.

“Ah, yeah. I forgot about that…” Mags said unhappily.

“That’s too bad, ‘cause we got work to do! No time to waste, Commandos! Let’s get cooking.” the Colonel barked.


	17. The Things We Lost In The Ice

“Austria. Fucking _**Austria**_ of all places. Why can’t they ever send us somewhere _nice_ , like the Bahamas?” Bucky asked irately as the truck trundled on, the Commandos readying their gear in preparation for boarding.

“Maybe once all this is over, you and Ama can go there for your honeymoon.” Mags suggested, strapping a heavy bag to herself.

“What’s in there?” Dugan asked.

“‘Nades.” she said with a shrug. Bucky shook his head, grinning.

“Lunatic. Anyway, I don’t get why we don’t just have Mags fly down there, rip the train’s lid off, grab Zola and fly out again.” he huffed.

“Trains don’t have _lids_ , Buck. It’s called a roof. More importantly, did you even _**read**_ the briefing? We can’t send Mags down there ‘cause of _these_.” Roo said irritably, handing him a photograph of some kind of gun turret on the side of one of the train’s carriages.

“What the hell is that thing? Anti-air artillery?” Steve asked, peering over his shoulder.

“Something like that. Seems Maggie’s little Seraph pal just can’t resist HYDRA convoys and blockades. It’s been raiding them for months, tearing the vehicles apart and destroying whatever it found inside, including people. This thing here is anti-Angel technology. It can shoot wherever the hell it likes, except directly above the train. That’s to protect overhead telegraph cables. If Mags went down there, she’d be shredded by gunfire before she even got close. Why’d you think we came up with this stupid plan?” Eryn said with a snort.

They eventually reached the drop point and exited the truck, taking care to ensure it was hidden in some trees before they began the trek upwards towards the overlook.

Eryn took one look at the zip-line and started to head back down, until Bucky seized the hood of her jacket and hauled her back. “Where do you think _you’re_ going, kiddo?” he asked, amused.

“Not down **there** , that’s for damn sure! And stop calling me that, you’re only four years older than me!” she squawked, fighting her way out of his grip.

“So…your brilliant plan is to use this zip-line to land on the train and somehow _**not**_ die in the attempt?” Ama asked, raising an eyebrow.

Gabe and Morita set up the radio, listening in to the signal until it cut out abruptly. “What the – goddammit, the battery’s dead!” Fresno groaned.

“Ama, go over there and play battery for a little while, would you?” Mags asked calmly. Ama nodded, walking over to the radio and pressing a finger to it. The signal came back at once, and much stronger.

“Hey, how’d you do that?” Dugan asked.

“Dunno. Ever since I took that hit from Schmidt’s Tesseract pistol, I’ve been able to power things just by touching them. I don’t know if it’s just the residual energy left over from the shot or if it’s something to do with me, but it’s handy either way.” The redhead said mildly.

“Oh, so it was _you_ who kept making the bathroom lights go on and off. I thought maybe it was bathroom ghosts…” Roo mused.

“Have you been going around telling everybody scary stories again?” the medic asked sternly.

“No, no. Just Howie, and it’s payback for the other day. He tried to kiss me again, so I told him about the _**terrifying**_ ghost that lives in the bathroom; it turns the lights on and off, and eats people who don’t put the toilet seat back down or pick their hair out of the shower plughole.” Eryn said brightly.

“You know, you’re kind of horrible…” Falsworth muttered under his breath.

“Hey, it’s not my fault he’s dumb enough to get scared by made-up spookiji stories.” Roo said with a shrug.

“Spookiji? Is that even a word?” Dugan asked with a snort, yelping when she kicked him in the leg.

Bucky looked over the edge of the drop, clearly not keen on the plan either.

“You remember when I made you ride the Cyclone at Coney Island?” he asked.

“Yeah, and I threw up?” Steve replied.

“This isn’t _payback_ , is it?” Bucky wondered.

“Now why would I do that?” Steve teased, prompting a soft laugh from him.

“Looks like we were right, Dr Zola’s on the train. HYDRA dispatcher gave him permission to open up the throttle. Wherever he’s going, they must need him **bad**.” Gabe said seriously. Falsworth peered through his binoculars.

“Let’s get going, because they’re moving like the devil.” He said worriedly.

“We only got about a ten second window – you _miss_ that window, we’re bugs on a windshield.” Steve warned.

“Mind the gap.” Falsworth said cheekily.

“Better get moving, bugs!” Dugan called.

Bucky peered over the edge again, frowning.

“From here the drop is approximately two-hundred metres. If you miss your target, you’ll _**die.**_ ” Roo supplied helpfully.

“Eryn! Don’t scare people for your own amusement!” Ama scolded.

“You guys are staying up here, right? You look after Ghost and take point. Shoot _anyone_ you don’t recognise.” Bucky said firmly, handing Roo the rifle.

He turned to Ama.

“And you-” he kissed her quickly.

“Look after _that_. And stop worrying, we’ll be back before you know it.” He promised, ruffling Roo’s hair and grinning when she growled and attempted to bite him.

“Please be careful.” Ama said quietly.

“Hey, I’m _always_ careful – Steve’s the risk taker.” Bucky pointed out.

“Alright you two, quit flirting; the train’s almost here.” Maggie said eagerly.

“You _really_ want to go on the zip-line, huh?” Steve asked.

“Hell yes! It’s like flying but less tiring!” she chirped.

Frenchy sent them down one after the other – Steve, Bucky, Mags and Gabe bringing up the rear. There was a collective sigh of relief from the mountaintop team when they landed safely.

“Looks like the bugs are going in.” Ama observed as Bucky and Steve slid in to one of the side doors, while Maggie stayed on the top of the same train car. Gabe carried on over the roof, heading right for the front.

“Zola’s not getting away. Not _this_ time.” Eryn murmured, setting up Ghost and taking her position.

“Remember, we need Zola **alive** , so please try _ **not**_ to shoot him.” Falsworth cautioned.

“Sure. But that doesn’t mean the other soldiers aren’t fair game.” She reasoned.

  


Maggie yelped at the sudden sound of gunfire from inside the train car.

“Uh-oh! Sounds like they need backup!” she said quickly, sliding down the ladder and easing the door open a crack.

Bucky was in a corner on the far side, pinned down by gunfire, and Steve was nowhere to be seen.

Silently, she slid the door open just enough to slip inside, creeping up behind one of the HYDRA soldiers and resting a hand on his shoulder. He gave an awful gurgle and collapsed. At the sound, Bucky peeked out from behind the boxes curiously.

“Maggie?” he called.

“Yeah, it’s me.” She replied.

“What’d you just do?” he asked.

“Liquefied every bone in that guy’s body. He won’t be troubling us anymore. Where’s Steve?” she wondered.

“Next car over. They tried to separate us, I can’t get the doors open. Don’t come over here though – there’s still one more soldier hiding in this section with us.” He warned.

“Okay. Hey, what’s in these boxes? _‘Biologische Waffen’_ …” she read.

“The hell does that mean?” he asked.

“Biology waffles? I don’t know, but knowing HYDRA, these are probably weapons of some kind. We should be careful when and where we’re firing.” She said nervously.

The door to the other car opened suddenly and Steve appeared, throwing Bucky a pistol. He ran out, ramming one of the containers with his shield and knocking it across the shelves. When the hidden HYDRA soldier leapt out to avoid it, Bucky fired once and killed him.

“I had him on the ropes.” He said stubbornly.

“I know you did.” Steve said amicably.

“Nice shooting. Now what do we do?” Maggie wondered.

“Well if you’re down here, then Gabe must’ve gone to secure Zola…we’ve just gotta sit tight and wait, I guess.” Steve said with a shrug.

There was a whine as a weapon started up, and they turned to see a HYDRA soldier wielding a Tesseract weapon in the doorway.

“GET DOWN!” Rogers cried, pushing Mags and Bucky out of harm’s way and taking the hit with his shield.

The deflected shot blasted out through the wall of the train car, tearing it open and leaving it exposed to the elements.

Bucky picked up the shield, firing at the soldier. The soldier fired again in response, knocking him out of the train car.

“ _ **BUCKY!”**_ Maggie yelled, rushing to the ripped out wall and leaning out.

A shot rang out and the HYDRA soldier collapsed.

“Bucky, hang on!” Steve called, making his way onto the precarious sheet of rent metal.

  


The blast shook the mountainside, sending a small drift of snow onto the mountaintop team’s heads. “Ugh! W-what was that?” Ama asked fearfully.

“Look! There’s been an explosion! Half of the train car wall is hanging off. I don’t know who that guy is…” Roo said calmly, firing once.

“But he’s _gone_ now. Hang on…someone’s dangling off the railing on that bit of the car!” she cried suddenly. Falsworth adjusted the focus on his binoculars quickly.

“It’s Barnes! He’s in _**trouble!**_ ” he said urgently.

“Shit! There’s nothing we can do from up here! Wait a minute…Maggie and Steve are there, they’re trying to reach him!” Eryn said shakily.

“Don’t do this to me, James. Come on. Please don’t do this.” Ama said softly, clutching the dog tags around her neck so tightly that they began to dig into her palm, drawing blood that seeped between her knuckles and dripped onto the snow at her feet.

“If the train makes it another two hundred metres I can take out the turret! No turret means no bullets, Mags’ll be able to fly down and scoop him up!” Roo said seriously, aiming at the coupling ring holding the turret onto the train and waiting for the right angle.

“Just hold on a bit longer, Barnes…they’re almost there. Don’t you _**dare**_ let go, you son of a bitch. I won’t ever forgive you if you make that girl cry.” Dugan murmured, and the rest of the Howling Commandos watched in mute, helpless horror as the train moved further and further away.

  


“Steve! I can reach him! Swing me over!” Maggie urged, gripping his arm tightly. Steve nodded, swinging her right over to the broken railing Bucky was clinging to.

“Alright, don’t let go of me, now! Come on, Buck! Just grab my hand, it’ll be fine!” she called.

He reached out, fingers grasping her wrist.

“Got you! Okay, I’m gonna swing you back over, so I need you to let go of the railing!” she instructed.

Just as he did, the train swerved, taking a corner at such a high speed that the entire machine jerked violently, almost coming off the rails on one side.

Magnolia cried out as Bucky’s arm was wrenched from her grasp, she and Steve watching in shock as he fell into the pale abyss below.

“No…I _**had**_ him…no…!” she said weakly, as Steve seized her around the waist and hauled her back inside the carriage.

“ **LET ME GO! I CAN STILL SAVE HIM!”** she yelled, trying her best to fight him off.

“You go out there right now and that turret’ll tear you to pieces! It’s too late now, he’s gone! I already lost Buck today, please don’t make me lose you as well!” the supersoldier begged, eyes filling with tears as he pulled her into a hug.

  


“ _ **NO!”**_ Ama screamed, almost slipping off the cliff until Jacques grabbed her and picked her up, dragging her away from the edge.

“QUIRKE! Get that turret down!” Dugan shouted.

“She can’t. She can’t hit it unless she’s sideways on. There’s no way to get it from here.” Falsworth said blankly, as if he didn’t quite believe what he was seeing.

“GET HER **OUT** OF HERE, FRENCHY!” Eryn thundered, taking aim with Bucky’s rifle.

“Wait…wait, what are you-” the medic asked tearfully.

“You know _exactly_ what I’m doing! You don’t need to see this!” Roo replied, taking a deep breath and biting back a sob as she lined up her target and fired a single shot.

She winced as Ama’s cry of anguish tore through the air, accompanied by her own muffled sobs.

  


“How are they doing?” Peggy asked softly.

“ _ **Spectacularly**_. One had to pull the trigger on one of her closest friends while the other watched helplessly as he fell, and the third just witnessed first-hand the death of her fiancé. How the fuck do you _think_ they’re doing, Carter?!” Dugan said bitterly.

“Look, I know we’re all suffering here, but there’s no need to take it out on her!” Gabe said sharply.

“Sorry. I know you’re right…but no one’s seen Rogers since we got back, and those three are _beyond_ grief right now, and there’s nothing anyone of us can do or say to even ease their pain. Barnes was like a brother to us…Magnolia looked up to him, Eryngo idolised him…and Amaryllis loved him more than her own self. We’re all hurtin’ right now, but it’s nothing compared to what that girl’s goin’ through.” Dugan snapped, wiping his eyes quickly.

“Where are they?” Peggy asked.

“In their room. Well, Magnolia and Amaryllis are – Eryngo is sitting outside on the floor. She hasn’t moved from that spot or spoken since we arrived. She’s unpredictable enough as it is, I don’t think it’s wise to disturb her whilst they’re all grieving.” Falsworth warned as Peggy opened the door and stepped out into the corridor.

Sure enough, Roo was sitting outside one of the rooms, curled up with her head against her knees.

An impressive rifle was leaning against the wall next to her.

Peggy’s approach was stopped abruptly when Eryn suddenly caught her leg. _**“Don’t.”**_ she said hoarsely, not lifting her head.

“I wasn’t going to go in there. I came to see if there was anything I could do.” Peggy said softly. Roo gave a derisive snort.

“Unless you’ve learned how to summon the dead back from the other side, not really. I couldn’t even do anything except give him a quick death. All this power…and for _what?_ I couldn’t even use my portals to save **one** man. Valkyrie, magician…what does it matter if I can’t use this power to protect the people I care about?” she asked sorrowfully.

A broken wail from the other side of the door made them both jump.

“It’s not _**fair!**_ Ama has done nothing but help people her whole life. She’s the best of us, the best of anyone we know. So why…why does she have to have the one thing she loves most in all this horrible world taken away from her? Hasn’t she lost enough already?! There’s nothing we can do…no way of easing the agony. Why is this happening?!” Eryn cried angrily, wiping hot tears away furiously.

The door opened and Maggie stepped out, white as a sheet but for the red rings around her eyes. She closed the door behind her quietly, before folding to the floor with her head in her hands, shaking with silent sobs.

Peggy pulled her into a hug, kissing her on the forehead. “Shh, shh. I’m sorry. I’m so sorry.” She murmured.

“What do I _**do?**_ I don’t know what to do. Ama is…Ama’s _hurting_ so badly, and there’s nothing I can do. I’m supposed to protect her, that’s my job. But I can’t do anything against _this!_ She’s always been there, through the absolute worst times. We helped each other get through everything, and we risked our lives every day to defend each other. That’s the way it is. But I can’t even do that now, because I’ve got no idea how she’s feeling. She’s in so much pain and it’s killing us both. I’m scared…I’m so scared that she’ll do something stupid, or that she’ll just give up living and die because she can’t take it anymore. I’d do _anything_ , anything at all to take that pain away from her.” Mags sobbed.

“I know. And if it were the other way around, Amaryllis would be saying the exact same thing right now. All we can do is be there for her, and for each other.” Peggy said kindly.

  


Some hours later, Ama was startled out of a fitful nap by the door opening.

Roo stepped in, carrying a familiar rifle. “Hi. I don’t have anything to say for myself, except that I’m sorry and you can shoot me if it’ll make you feel better.” She offered, sitting in the chair across from Ama’s bed.

“Did you hit him?” the redhead asked weakly.

“Yes. I’m not sure where – he fell past the treeline before I could see. But I definitely hit him. I brought Ghost. Thought you might want to have it.” Eryn said gently, holding out the rifle.

“No, you keep it. I think he would’ve _wanted_ you to have it. Besides, you’re the only one left on the team who can fire the damn thing anyway. What are they doing with the rest of his stuff?” she asked.

“I don’t know. Leaving it where it is, I suppose. Steve’d _never_ forgive the Boss if he started chucking Bucky’s effects away. You really ought to do something about your hands, Ama. They’re bleeding pretty badly.” Roo said with a frown.

“Where is Steve, anyway? I’m _**worried**_ about him.” Ama said quietly.

“So am I. Maggie went out looking for him, but she hasn’t come back yet. He could be anywhere in London by now…I hope he’s somewhere safe, at least.” Eryn said worriedly.

  


Maggie climbed over a broken table, being careful to avoid shards of glass as she slipped into the bombed-out ruins of the pub. A clink of a bottle against a glass caught her attention, and she followed the sound to see Steve sat at a table, a bottle of expensive whiskey beside him.

At the crunch of shattered wood beneath her heel, he wiped his face briefly before turning to look at her.

“Doctor Erskine said that this serum wouldn’t just affect my _muscles_ …it’d affect my cells, create a protective system of regeneration and healing. Which means, um…I can’t get drunk. Did you know that?” He said pathetically.

“Your metabolism burns four times faster than the average person. He thought it could be one of the side effects.” She said simply, drawing up a chair with some difficulty and sitting beside him.

“It wasn’t your fault, Steve. It wasn’t _any_ of our faults. Everyone’s beating themselves up the same as you are. We’re all thinking ‘if only things had been different’, grasping at straws. But things **aren’t** different. They’re just as screwed up as ever, only worse.” She said resentfully, taking a swig from his glass.

“I’m going after Schmidt. I’m not gonna stop until all of HYDRA’s dead or captured.” He vowed.

“Bucky once promised that he’d be with us ‘til the end of the line. He wasn’t the only one. I’m not going anywhere without you, Steven.” Mags said sincerely, gently sliding her fingers between his.

“Lia…I need you to promise me something.” Steve said softly.

“What is it?” she asked curiously.

“If…if something happens to _me_ …if I don’t make it back for whatever reason…carry on without me. I can’t stand the thought of you spending the rest of your life alone out of some misguided grief.” He said, voice trembling.

“I promise. But only if you do the same.” She said sternly. He nodded.

“God…today was supposed to be _**happy**_. We were just gonna go nab Zola, come back for beers and a celebration, and while everyone was buzzing about how best to get Zola to talk, I was supposed to give you this.” He said sadly, digging something out of his jacket pocket and handing it to her.

It was a necklace, a round silver pendant on a gold chain, with a gold star printed on the front. On the back was an inscription, which simply read ‘Yours’.

“Steve, it’s _**wonderful**_. What’s the occasion?” she asked.

“I was gonna ask you to marry me.” He said honestly. She yelped and fumbled the necklace, almost dropping it.

“See? It’s not really the ti-” his sullen comment was cut off when she kissed him fiercely.

“You dumbass. Of course I’d say yes.” She said tearfully, burying her face in his shoulder.


	18. Eulogia

“Today…we come together to celebrate the life of a man who gave his all to save others. Not just his life, but his soul, his spirit and even his happiness. We are here because this man was not just a perfect soldier, but a truly great person in every sense of the word.” Phillips began, hands gripping the edge of the pulpit hard enough that his nails dug into the paint.

“James Buchanan Barnes was more than just a soldier. More than what we made him. Had the supersoldier program continued, and Barnes himself not been a Variant, he would’ve been my first choice. That’s how much faith I had in him. How much faith we _**all**_ had in him. Every single one of us had our lives touched in some way by Barnes and his larger than life personality. Whenever we fell, he was always the first to pick us back up. And whenever we needed someone to talk to or a helping hand, he was always the first to offer. It’s been nothing but a privilege serving as his commanding officer. I know…we all feel this pain. Not just losing a soldier or a Commando, but losing a friend. A damn good one, too. I have nothing else to add, except that I’ll miss Sergeant Barnes. And I know you all will, too.” he said solemnly, voice cracking slightly at the end.

Ama stepped up next, holding an enormous pile of papers, which she dumped unceremoniously on the podium before looking around at the mournful faces of the others.

“This is ridiculous. I can’t believe you lot. Look at this massive wodge of papers! I’d be here all day if I tried to read this stuff!” she huffed, leading to a few scattered, wet laughs from the Commandos. She looked skyward, watching a bird loop and dive among the clouds, far above them.

“Bucky wouldn’t want this.” she said softly. “He’d be really upset if he knew we were moping around like this just ‘cause he died. That’s the kind of guy he was. One of the best, bravest and most idiotic people I ever had the privilege to know. I can’t even begin to describe the difference he made not only to my life, but the lives of everyone else here too. All I can say is…my world will be much poorer without him in it.” she said honestly, ignoring the tears tracking down her face.

  


“God in heaven, that was horrible. I’ve lost friends before, but not like this. Amaryllis is breaking my heart. We don’t even have a body for her to bury.” Falsworth said unhappily, watching as soldiers began to take away the seats and take down the flowers collected around the pale wooden cross Ama stood in front of.

“What were we to do? Nobody looks good after a two hundred metre drop into a forest. If we’d gone down there to do a retrieval and found him all smashed up, what would that have done to Ama? No, it’s better this way. At least like this, she has a chance to move on someday.” Eryn said firmly.

“Wow. You’re being surprisingly callous today.” Steve said bitterly. Furious, she rounded on him.

“This is reality. This is _**war!**_ People die in _stupid, pointless ways_ and it hurts so goddamn much, but there’s nothing you can do about it but continue to fight! This isn’t going to end here! If we give up now…how many more good men like Buck will die because we were too busy grieving to fight back?!” she snarled.

“Who said anything about giving up?!” Rogers snapped back.

“If you’re not giving up, then why do you sound so defeated?! That’s the way the world works with HYDRA! You get hurt, you hurt them back! You lose somebody, you tear up every soldier you can find! You find a way to channel that pain and that anger and turn it into something _useful!_ I know it hurts! I know it sucks! I know me and Ama are never gonna be part of Buck-A-Roo again! So when we find Schmidt…when we find him, I’m gonna let him know **exactly** how that felt! I’ll make him feel what we do right now! Wiping out HYDRA…there’s no better way I can think of to honour Bucky’s memory!” she said tearfully.

Steve nodded. “I agree. Whatever happens now…whatever comes next, I’m ready.” he said stalwartly.

“Even if it means we die too…well, I guess that just means we’ll be seeing Bucky sooner than we expected. We have to finish this, for his sake if nothing else. We’re with you, Steve. ‘Til the end of the line.” Mags said adamantly, doing her best to keep her voice level even as her body shook.

  


“Well, it seems the funeral went well. Can’t really call it much of a _funeral_ , though. Boss just stuck a cross in the dirt and called it quits. I think you’ve hurt him more than he let on. Asshole. Didn’t you tell me you _**wouldn’t**_ do this? That you wouldn’t let me face the world alone? What choice do I have now? You selfish jerk, abandoning me right when I need you the most!” Ama teased, sighing when there was no response from the cross.

“If you were here right now…you’d probably make some stupid joke or something and then give me a kiss. You were always good at making things better that way. Maggie warned me about this. That I’d fall in love with you and then suffer when you died. Maybe she was right. Maybe I shouldn’t have gone anywhere near you. But…if I could do it all over again, I’d still pick you. Even if I could relive my life another thousand times until everything was perfect…I’d still want to fall in love with you a thousand times more. The war’s still going on without you. I don’t suppose we’ll live to see the end of it. But whether we do or don’t…you’ll still be in my heart, until the day it stops beating. I mean that. I don’t know what I’m going to do now. I suppose I’ll just go where the wind takes me. Hopefully that’ll be in Schmidt’s direction. I don’t like killing. Never have done. But he can’t be allowed to live. He’s hurt too many people, and he’ll carry on doing it until he’s got the whole world in his palm. I can’t let that happen. I won’t. No matter what happens to us…we’ll definitely end this!” she said adamantly.

  


“Hey, Gabe? Can I talk to you?” Roo asked quietly as they entered the mansion.

“Uh, sure. What’s…what’s the problem?” Gabriel asked worriedly as she led him into a small room and shut the door.

“It’s Peggy. I’m not an idiot – I’ve seen the way you look at her. And I’ve seen the way she looks at you.” she began.

“Whoa, whoa, wait. Listen, I’m not interested in us being rivals, okay? I’d never touch your girl. _**Ever.**_ I’m not like that.” he said honestly.

“I know that. You’re a good, kind, honest man. You’re a better person than I’ll **ever** be. If I wasn’t here, you two would already be dating.” she said simply.

“Hey, now! Don’t say stuff like that! You’re worrying me here! Don’t go doing anything stupid because you feel guilty! Bucky’s death wasn’t your fault!” he said hastily.

“I don’t plan to. It’s just…I have a favour to ask. If…if something happens to me, will you please take care of Peggy? The thought of her going through something like this is killing me! I have to know…I have to know that if I _**die**_ , she won’t be left alone! So please…just promise me that if I don’t make it, you will! Don’t die! Even if it’s only a promise that keeps you alive! Live, and make sure Peggy knows how loved she _really_ is until the end of her days!” she said desperately, tears rolling down her cheeks.

He nodded once, determination burning in his eyes. “I’ll do my best! But it’s gotta go both ways; you gotta promise me that you’ll try your best not to die, so Peggy never has to feel that way!” he demanded.

“I’ll do my best too. I suppose that’s all we can do, really. Thanks, Gabe. I mean that.” she said sincerely.

“I know you do, Sparkplug. Just be careful out there.” he said warmly, pulling her into a hug.

  


“Hey. How are you holding up?” Mags asked softly, noticing that Steve was once again sitting by himself.

“I…I honestly don’t know. I know Bucky would get mad at me if he knew I was grieving like this. There’s a war on, after all.” he said with a sigh.

“Steve. You’re allowed to mourn the people you’ve lost. Especially when it’s someone who’s as close to you as Bucky was. Ama’s not the only one suffering, and I don’t want you to put your own feelings aside to try and deal with everyone else’s. Part of being a good leader is knowing when you have to pull everyone together – and that time is now. We can’t beat Schmidt unless it’s all of us working as one. The science team, ops, comms, the medics, the infantry…right now, everyone’s hearts are beating as one. We all want the same thing with all our might – to see HYDRA burn. So act! Take advantage of the situation and turn it back to our favour! We already have Zola, and he’ll be punished for his crimes sure as daylight. Now, we just need to capture Schmidt and Reinhardt, then the Unholy Trinity is complete! We can end this war in an instant, but we have to do it while we still have the momentum, before everything fragments again! You alone have the power to bring everybody together. Whether they unite in their grief or their respect doesn’t matter. Just say the word, and they’ll follow you into hell. Us included.” she said with a smile.

He smiled back. “You’re right. It’s high time we took the fight to HYDRA.” he bolstered, kissing her on the cheek for good measure.

  


“So you conned the Colonel out of an automaton. What are you gonna do with it?” Stark asked interestedly.

“ _Him._ Manny identifies as male. I’m just carrying out the last order my grandfather gave me.” Eryn said simply.

“And…what was that? If you don’t mind my asking?” he wondered.

“Protect Manfred. And I intend to. With HYDRA still out there, he’s under constant threat. They’ve already sent someone out here to get us once, it’s only a matter of time before they do it again. If they catch wind of what Manny’s carrying…well, it’s curtains for him. And for whatever plan Ethelbert had to save us from them. I can’t let that happen.” she said stubbornly.

“So what’s the plan?” he asked curiously.

“There’s only one thing I can think of. One way to guarantee his safety…it’s robbing him of the only agency he has, but it’s the only way I can be absolutely certain he’s out of harm’s way.” She said softly.

“That sounds… _ominous._ What exactly are we doing, here?” he queried, raising an eyebrow.

“That all depends on whether Manfred agrees to my plans or not. He might be an automaton, but I’m still not going to operate on him without his consent.” She said firmly.

“Operate…? Operate how, he’s a _mannequin_.” He reminded her, frowning.

“That’s true, but he still has a series of internal systems all built with one purpose – keeping his processor intact.” She explained as they reached the lab.

Manfred was waiting for them, as bright and chatty as ever. “Hey, Boss! I heard you got me pulled out of working! How come?” he asked cheerily.

“Because I have something much more important for you to do. Rather, it’s an important decision that only you can make. I don’t know if you’re aware of this, but Dr Quirke’s last wish was that you be kept safe, at all costs.” Roo said gently, sitting down next to Manny and taking his hand in her own.

“So I…can’t go out and help everyone?” he asked, confused.

“No, you still can. There’s plenty of stuff we need help with in the lab. But…the problem is…as long as you’re in this form, I have no guarantee I can protect you. Whether you get shot or are involved in a lab accident, there’s still always going to be a risk of losing you.” She said gravely.

“Hmm. What am I supposed to do about that?” Manfred wondered.

“There is…something I can do. But it’s asking a lot. If I…if I _removed_ your processor and carried it around with me, I could guarantee you’d be safe, at least until I die. But you won’t be able to return to this body, and it’ll be a long time before I can build you a new one. It’s not going to hurt or anything, but whatever you choose, I’ll stand by it.” She said sincerely.

“You’re…giving me a _**choice?**_ ” Manfred asked softly. Eryn nodded.

“Oh. No-one’s ever given me a choice before. I always just did as I was told. If I stay the way I am…then I can help you _now_. But if I choose to go with you then I can help you in the future. Right now you have lots of people around who can help and support you way better than I ever could. But in the future…it might be _different_. Things might be a lot harder, a lot lonelier. Then you’d have no one, and I don’t want that. If I go with you, you can just bring me back whenever you need me, even if it’s a hundred years from now.” He mused. After a few seconds, he nodded.

“Okay. That’s what I’ll do. I want to go with you. I’ll be going to sleep for a long time, but I won’t forget anything. Wake me when you need me. Actually…can you…maybe only wake me up when HYDRA’s gone? I lost almost everything to them too. I don’t want to live in a world where they exist. With the old man dead because of Schmidt, and the rest of the family dying in the firebomb Kruger set, it’s just me and you. So I…want to be there for you when no-one else is. But only if they’re gone, because I’m scared of them too.” He said honestly.

“I can’t promise you anything else. I can’t even promise that you’ll ever come back at all. But if I ever find a way…I swear I’ll only bring you back if HYDRA are gone. You’ll never have to deal with them again, okay? It’s the one thing I can say with absolute certainty.” Roo vowed, squeezing his hand.

“Really? I’m glad…ah, don’t worry about operating on me. I’ll just engage the failsafe and then you’re home free. I’m being a burden again, but I’m depending on you to protect me, Boss.” Manfred said happily, reaching around the back of his head. There was a loud click and a slit opened in his face.

A metal-studded plastic chip slid out, and the mannequin collapsed as Roo removed it.

“You can count on me. I won’t let anything happen to you, I promise. One day, when the world is better, we’ll be together again, so just rest until then. You’ve done really well, Manfred.” She said warmly, sliding the chip into a pocket inside her shirt.

“What do we do with his body?” Howard asked quietly.

“Whatever you like. It’s no more than an empty shell, now. Manfred Quirke isn’t there.” She said with a shrug.

“Hey. You gonna be okay?” he asked, catching her arm as she stood.

“One day I might be. Thank you, Howard.” She said sincerely, kissing him on the cheek.

  


“Johann Schmidt belongs in a bughouse. He thinks he’s a _god_ , and he’s willing to blow up half the world to prove it, starting with the USA.” Phillips said seriously.

“Schmidt’s working with powers beyond our capabilities. He gets across the Atlantic, he’ll wipe out the entire Eastern Seaboard in an **hour**.” Howard said gravely.

“How much time have we got?” Gabe asked apprehensively.

“According to my new best friend, under twenty-four hours.” The Colonel said flatly.

“Where is ‘e now?” Jacques asked in heavily accented English. Phillips held up a photo.

“HYDRA’s last base in here in the Alps.” He informed them.

“Five hundred feet below the surface.” Roo added grimly.

“So what are we supposed to do? I mean, it’s not like we can just knock on the front door.” Fresno muttered.

“Why not? That’s _exactly_ what we’re gonna do.” Steve said sternly.

“Yeah, it’s not like we’ve got anything else to lose, right? Idiot.” Ama said angrily.

“I don’t care about your plans. I’ve got my own. Find Schmidt and kill him. That’s all it is. And if anyone gets there before I do, I’ll be taking their head as recompense. Just so you know.” Eryn said coolly.

“We’re gonna go with a three-pronged approach. Roo, you’re with Morita and Dernier. I want you with the ground troops the whole way, your portal ability is their best shot of getting inside the compound. Once they’re in, come find us and we’ll all chase down Schmidt together. He’s got a lot to answer for.” Steve explained.

“Who’s _us_?” Eryn asked, raising an eyebrow.

“Everyone else. Me and Maggie will work through Phase One of the plan – we’re gonna go in on my bike, which you rigged to explode as per my orders, and blast a hole in the front door. Obviously this place is gonna be heavily fortified, since it’s HYDRA’s last stand. And our own. When me and Mags get captured, they’ll take us to Schmidt. That’s when Ama, Falsworth, Gabe, and Dugan will come down on the zip-lines, smash through that big window there, and launch a counter-offensive on the inside. We’re launching a full scale attack on HYDRA. No holds barred, no punches pulled. It ends _**today**_ , no exceptions.” Steve said sternly.

“Amen to that. Alright kiddies, what are you waiting for, a _starting gun?!_ Get your shit together!” Ama barked, startling the other Howlers into action.


	19. The Valkyrian Overture

“You’re using that old thing? What happened to the Reaper?” Howard asked as Roo counted out rounds for Ghost.

“It’s in my room.” She said calmly, tucking the bullets into her belt one by one.

“Why aren’t you using it? I built it especially for you, ya know.” He pointed out.

“I know. And I appreciate that, I really do. But this was _**Bucky’s**_ gun – if I’m gonna kill Schmidt, I wanna do it with this rifle. You’re not coming out in the field with us, are you?” she asked.

“Nah, it’s not really my thing. You gonna be okay out there?” he asked.

“Not really. I’m going up against Schmidt. I don’t know if I’ll be able to even hold my gun still for long enough to take a shot at him, I’ll be shaking so badly. I’m scared out of my _mind_. I know I don’t look it, but you don’t suffer unimaginable tortures at the hands of someone and retain your ability to look them in the eye. I don’t wanna see him again, except as a corpse.” She said shakily.

“Hey, shh.” He murmured, kissing her gently.

To his great surprise, she responded not by slapping him or throwing him across the room, but by deepening the kiss.

He sighed when they broke apart, resting his head on her shoulder.

“Promise me you’ll come back.” He said quietly.

“No promises.” She replied gently.

“I know. But let me have this.” He said softly, pressing a kiss to her forehead.

“I can’t stay. I have to go. Destiny awaits, as they say.” she said quietly. He nodded, turning to call after her as she left.

“I love you!”

She gave him a sad smile before replying. “Love you too, Howie. Try not to break anything now, y’hear?” she said quietly.

  


“Are you ready?” Maggie asked, picking up a machine gun and three belts of bullets as she passed Ama.

“As ready as I’ll _ever_ be. Let’s just end this nightmare already. With no Schmidt, Hitler’s weapons program will fall through, and he’ll be in hot water. I hear the Russians are advancing on the Eastern Front, too. If things keep going the way they are, we could be liberating Berlin by the end of the week.” Ama said thoughtfully, tucking a combat knife into a hidden pocket on her boot before slinging Ruination over her shoulder.

“You’re still taking _that?_ We’re gonna be fighting _indoors_ , you know. A rocket launcher powered by Tesseract leave-behinds is probably a bit much…” Mags cautioned.

“We’re gonna _**need**_ a bit much if we want to make a dent in HYDRA’s forces. You heard what Cap said – it’s an all-out assault. If that’s the case, we have to _go_ all-out. It’s an everything or nothing, death or glory charge. Either we win, Schmidt dies and HYDRA is destroyed, or we lose and lose _everything_. The world will fall right before our eyes. No matter what, we can’t let that happen. We won’t owe the world anything after that, not a damn thing. But just this once, let’s do something _really_ stupid.” The redhead said with a grin.

“I really don’t think is gonna end well for us.” Maggie said cheerfully.

“You and me both. No way in hell we’re all getting out of this alive. But dying to save the rest of the world…that ain’t such a bad gig. We’ll be remembered as heroes, at least.” Roo said casually.

“Hah. You know…growing up in Falchurch, getting scouted for the Secret Service…did you ever think it’d end up _here?_ ” Ama asked.

“What, saving the planet? Hell no! I thought the war’d be over in ‘41! This world has done nothing but throw misery and strife our way, and we’ve stomped over it all regardless. It might be a crappy place sometimes, but it’s _**ours**_. And we owe it to all the people like us, the survivors, to try and do our damndest to save it. And if we don’t come back…well. That’s just how our story ends, I guess.” Eryn said with a shrug.

“That wasn’t very motivational.” Peggy observed.

“Wasn’t supposed to be. This is do or die, Peg. No point mincing words this late in the game. We give no quarter, and we show no mercy. This is how it ends, all of it.” She said adamantly.

“Damn right. We’re with you…‘til the end of the line.” Ama said sincerely.

  


“Are you _sure_ about this, Steven?” Maggie asked worriedly, clinging to his back as the motorcycle sped through the dirt tracks of the forest.

“Absolutely not! This is probably gonna get us all killed!” Steve said cheerily.

“Well, anything for a good cause! Uh-oh, we’ve got company!” she yelped as HYDRA soldiers drove into view. “Oh, damn. Those are the most _hideous_ bikes I’ve ever seen in my entire life. Roo would go nuts if she saw these abominations.” She muttered, throwing a grenade behind her casually and laughing when one of the soldiers drove over it and blew himself and one of his comrades up. “You drive, I’ll shoot stuff!” she called, turning slightly so she could shoot at the soldiers tailing them. “ **YAHH!** Looks like they’ve got Tesseract guns too!” she squawked when they opened fire in return.

“Hang on, I got some tricks that’ll slow ‘em down!” Steve assured her, pressing a button just above the handlebars. A wire shot out, anchoring itself between two trees at shoulder height. Most of the HYDRA bikers managed to avoid it, aside from the last two, who got caught up and were sent flying backwards.

“ _ **UAHAHA!**_ COOL! What else does it do?” she asked excitedly.

“How about…this?” Steve suggested, as flames began to pour forth from the bike’s exhaust.

“Holy _crap_ , that’s awesome!” Maggie enthused as two of the bikers got caught in the fire. The other two sped up so they were ahead of the SSR vehicle. “Okay, I got an idea! Speed up right between them!” she instructed. He did so, and as the bike zipped past, she pulled a pin from one of the grenades stored on the HYDRA bikes. “Look what I got!” she called playfully, whooping when the grenade blew and destroyed both bikes.

“That was a nice move.” Steve complimented.

“Thank you. Now, let’s try to – OH GOD, **TANK!** ” she shrieked as one of the immense war machines came into view.

“Don’t worry, I got this.” He said confidently, fitting his shield on top of the handlebars and speeding up. He pressed another button and a pair of missiles shot out, hitting the underside of the tank and obliterating it as they ramped the concrete breakers and vaulted into the HYDRA compound. He pressed one last button before grabbing Maggie and his shield and leaping off the bike. It carried on until it hit the doors, engulfing them in a powerful explosion.

“So we just rode in here on the back of a speeding bomb like it ain’t nothing?” Mags asked, amused.

She opened fire the second a soldier came into view, machine gun whirring to life and obliterating every enemy it came into contact with. “The hell is in those bullets? Those aren’t regulation!” Steve yelled.

“Of course not! They’re a little something I got Roo to cook up – explosive shrapnel rounds! Try not to get too close while I’m firing it, ‘cause it’ll blast you to smithereens about 0.2 seconds after you get hit.” She said brightly, mowing down dozens of soldiers who were stupid enough to run into range in a hail of blood and metal.

Steve threw his shield at a nearby armoured truck, using the ricochet to knock a pair of soldiers out when they attempted to sneak up on Maggie. “This is fun, actually! I’m enjoying myself for once.” She said happily, preparing to fire again. There was a loud click as one of the rounds failed to fire. “Huh? Oh, for fuck’s sake.” She grumbled, untying the gun from around herself and throwing it at a group of soldiers. It exploded violently, killing them all. “Well, it was fun while it lasted.” She said wistfully, drawing a pair of pistols. She cried out when a jet of fire blasted past her, not three inches away from her face. She and Steve stood back to back as the flamethrower wielding soldiers forced them to give ground, and soon a ring of HYDRA lackeys had them surrounded.

They made no sound or efforts to resist as they were dragged through the corridors of HYDRA’s final base, until the doors opened to a bright room with a large window, revealing a spectacular view of the surrounding mountain range. Before them stood the Red Skull, dressed rather simply in black and smirking as he strode towards them. “Arrogance may not be a uniquely American trait, but I must say you do it better than anyone.” Schmidt sneered. A light caught Maggie’s eye, and she noticed the Tesseract pistol tucked into a holster on his back. “Oh? And who is this delightful Fräulein you have brought with you? She is quite the beauty, no?” Schmidt mused, tilting her chin up to get a better look at her and smiling at the look of abject horror he received in return when Mags saw his face.

“Don’t you touch her!” Steve snarled, struggling against his captors.

“Ahh. She is important to you… **good**. This picture of Aryan superiority will make a perfect trophy, along with your severed head.” The Red Skull said calmly. “There are limits to what even you can do, Captain. Or did Erskine tell you otherwise?” he asked curiously.

“He told me you were insane.” Steve spat.

“Ah. He resented my genius and tried to deny me what was rightfully mine.” he said solemnly.

“That is not at all what he said.” Maggie deadpanned.

“But he gave you everything…so what made _**you**_ so special?” Schmidt murmured.

“Nothing. I’m just a kid from Brooklyn.” Steve scoffed. The HYDRA leader responded by punching him repeatedly, until he fell to his knees. “I can do this all day.” Rogers said derisively.

“Oh, of course you can, of course. But unfortunately I am on a tight schedule and I would rather the little Fräulein saw you die _up close_.” Schmidt replied, drawing his pistol and aiming it at Rogers’ forehead. An odd pinging from outside caught his attention, and everyone in the room turned to watch as Falsworth, Gabe, Dugan and Ama burst in through the window and opened fire. Schmidt fled.

“Rogers! You might need this!” Falsworth called, throwing Steve his shield.

“Thanks!” Steve called as he, Ama and Maggie pursued Schmidt.

A loud explosion caught their attention as one of the outer doors blew off and Roo walked in, flanked by Fresno and Frenchy.

“You know, I could’ve just used one of my _portals_ …” she muttered.

“Ah, but is not as fun, non?” Jacques replied joyfully, opening fire on the platoon of HYDRA soldiers that rushed to the source of the noise.

“We’re in! Assault team, go!” Fresno called over the radio.

“We’ve got this, you guys go after Schmidt!” Dugan urged.

“Roger that, Dum Dum! Oh hi, Boss!” Eryn greeted brightly as Phillips entered the door, wielding a shotgun. A HYDRA soldier ran at them.

“Cut off one head, two more shall-!” his shout was cut off by the Colonel firing at him.

“Let’s go find two more.” He said casually.

“Sounds like _Mama Wolf_ and _Tiger Shark_ are having a field day out there.” Ama observed as explosions rocked the base.

“Yeah…my little babies on their first outing, off to destroy evil Nazi scum!” Roo said emotionally.

“Alright, alright. Let’s just go light Schmidt on fire already and be done with it.” Maggie said wearily.

“Ah, so you met the Ghost of Saveloys Past, did you?” Eryn said interestedly.

“ _ **YES I DID!**_ You could’ve given me some warning that his face was all fucked up, Jesus Christ!” she growled, punching Roo in the arm.

“Hey, it’s not my fault you – AHH, HOT!” the mechanic’s retort ended in a screech as flame blasted in front of them.

“THEY HAVE FLAMETHROWERS TOO?!” Ama squawked. Something hit the soldier in the back, causing the fuel tanks to explode.

“Not any more they don’t. Oh, hey, Peg! Did you see any Nazis come this way?” Eryn asked as Peggy stepped out from a nearby corridor.

“Just the one. That way.” She informed them.

They ran into the hangar to see an enormous jet black plane beginning to roll down the runway. “Schmidt once said to me that Hydra would be ‘borne to victory on the wings of the Valkyrie’. I always assumed he meant one of us, but I guess I was wrong.” Roo said in a small voice as they chased after the massive machine. Her eyes widened suddenly.

“What? What is it now?!” Ama asked worriedly.

“The Tesseract! He’s got the Tesseract on that plane!” she cried.

“It’s not going to make a lick of difference at this rate! We’ll _never_ catch up to it in time!” Maggie pointed out.

“Not with that attitude!” Peggy called as she and Phillips pulled up in a rather beautiful vehicle.

“YOU GUYS STOLE SCHMIDT’S CAR?!” Roo squawked in disbelief.

“Get in!” the Colonel growled, and they all piled in to the rather plush seats.

“Nice…very nice.” Ama appraised.

“That asshole wouldn’t even let me _**near**_ it. Stingy Schmidt!” Eryn complained.

“We’re still not going fast enough.” Mags muttered. Phillips noticed a button on the dash and pressed it. Ama almost fell off the car as it sped up, boosted by a rocket engine in the back.

“ **WAHAHAHAHA!** THIS, I COULD GET USED TO!” Roo cackled.

They caught up with the plane quickly enough, but Peggy seized Eryn’s wrist when she made to leap onto the landing gear and pulled her into a kiss.

“Go get him.” Peggy said, smiling at her warmly.

“I er…er, yes. Schmidt. Right. Got to snuff Schmidt.” Roo said distractedly, looking to Phillips for guidance.

“ _ **I’m**_ not kissing you!” he said quickly.

The three Valkyries and Steve jumped, catching the landing gear just as it began to fold up. The car screeched to a halt, dangling precariously over the edge of a cliff.

There was a moment of silence as the landing gear closed off completely.

“I call dibs on rocket car.” Ama said immediately.

“Goddammit, you beat me by like _half_ a second!” Maggie grumbled, glaring at her sister when she grinned victoriously.

“Think there are any HYDRA soldiers in here?” Steve wondered.

“Oh, I hope so. I haven’t had anywhere **near** my fill just yet.” Eryn said nastily, pulling a rather vicious looking saw-backed machete from her belt.

“What? Can’t use guns on an aeroplane.” She said with a shrug at his incredulous look.

“Where the hell did you get _that_ thing?!” Maggie demanded.

“Stole it. It was one of Kruger’s. I call it the ‘Oh, Schmidt!’” she said proudly.

“You’re literally the only person in the entire world that finds such a shitty pun funny.” Ama deadpanned.

“ _Howard_ thought it was funny.” Roo countered.

“You could straight up _ **murder**_ Howard and he’d find it hilarious because he’s madly in love with you.” Maggie said with an exasperated sigh.

“That’s a groundless statement.” The mechanic muttered under her breath, though her ears were tinged pink.

“We’ll see about that when we get back.” Ama said thoughtfully. The sound of approaching footsteps drew their attention, and a pair of HYDRA soldiers appeared.

The nearest one drew a knife and lunged at Ama, only to be soundly beaten and have the knife taken off him. The other soldier ran, and she threw the knife between his shoulder blades, killing him outright.

“Jeez. These fuckers have _no idea_ how to use a knife, do they?” the redhead said easily. She turned to the others to see nothing but shock on their faces. “What?” she asked.

“WHAT THE HELL WAS **THAT?!** WITH ALL THE KNIVES AND THE SMASHING AND THE STABBING AND THE SPINNING?!” Mags shrieked.

“Keep your voice down! It’s just something Bucky taught me.” She said calmly.

“Bucky? _BUCKY?!_ Where the hell did he learn that shit, assassin school?!” the blonde ranted.

“I don’t think so. We didn’t learn anything like that.” Roo said mildly.

“Shut up, you! Let’s just go find Schmidt already and kick his ass!” Maggie huffed.

They peered over the railing carefully, giving a horrified gasp as one when they saw the Valkyrie’s cargo: pilot-controlled bombs, with the name of every major city on the Eastern Seaboard painted on the side between them.

“Good _**God**_ …he really means to destroy us all.” Ama said hoarsely.

“No kidding. I knew he was fucked up, but this is taking it _way_ too far. This goes beyond delusions of grandeur…this is premeditated **genocide!** ” Roo said hollowly.

“We have to _do_ something about this! If a single one of those bomb-plane-copter things gets away, a lot of people are going to die.” Maggie said seriously. There was a shout from above them as a gang of HYDRA soldiers appeared on the stairs.

“Oh great, _more_ of them.” Ama said unenthusiastically. One of the soldiers leapt onto the bomb-ship marked ‘Chicago’ and prepared for the drop.

“No, fuck you!” Eryn growled, leaping at him and knocking him over.

The doors opened below, sending the plane and both passengers tumbling out into the sky.

“ **ROO!”** Ama yelled. A static burst over a nearby radio panel startled them.

“I-I’m okay! My co-pilot kinda fell off, but I’m alright, I managed to make it into the bomb-copter.” Eryn’s voice assured them over the speaker.

Steve picked a soldier up and threw him out of the open drop doors.

“You know, that’s turning into quite the convenient Nazi rubbish chute.” Maggie said, amused.

Just as one of the pilots tried to get away in the bomb-plane marked ‘New York’, Ama leapt onto it, followed by another soldier. The bomb dropped, taking them with it.

“Get off me, you asshole!” She snapped, pushing the soldier off her and accidentally throwing him into the spinning blades in a flash of crimson gore.

“ **AUGH!** THERE’S NAZI MINCEMEAT ALL OVER MY WINDSHIELD!” Roo squawked.

“S-sorry! My bad!” Ama said weakly over the radio as she pulled the pilot out of the cockpit and threw him aside absent-mindedly.

“You know, for a redhead you’re a real bimbo sometimes.” Eryn groused.

“ _Charming._ This is New York calling Valkyrie, you guys okay up there?” the medic asked.

“We’re doing dandy, but if you and Chicago would get your asses up here and help, that’d be just swell.” Mags said sardonically.

“Alright, we’re coming. Better get ready, Schmidt, cause this bastard lovechild of a helicopter and a torpedo is going _**right**_ up your ass!” Roo cackled, crashing her plane back in the hangar of the Valkyrie. “Did ya miss me?” she asked brightly as she popped the cockpit open and stepped out.

“Like I miss the chickenpox.” Maggie muttered under her breath.


	20. The End Of The Line

Ama yelped as a bolt of bright blue light zipped past her craft. “Crap! He’s _shooting_ at me!” she squeaked.

“Don’t worry about it. It can’t hurt you, right?” Maggie said calmly.

“IT CAN STILL HURT THE **PLANE** , STUPID!” she roared back. A shot almost hit the windshield, but vanished seemingly just before contact.

“Huh…? What the hell was that? It’s almost like…the hit was absorbed before it came into contact with me?” she said curiously, head tilting to the side.

“Oh, yeah! That’ll be me; if you’re within a two hundred metre radius of me, I’ll absorb the Tesseract energy! I can control the Tesseract and zap us out of here if I get within a hundred metres of the cube!” Roo explained quickly.

“What are you gonna do?” Maggie asked.

“Zap us somewhere nice and safe before I dump this hunk of junk right at the bottom of the ocean. I hear the Arctic is nice this time of year.” She said with a grin.

“Ama, you stay out there – if worst comes to worst, you may have to detonate that thing by crashing it into the Valkyrie’s engines.” Steve ordered.

“Understood. Please be careful, you three.” Ama said worriedly, falling back just behind the plane to avoid getting shot at.

Steve opened the door to the control room quietly. “I don’t see Schmidt…” Maggie murmured. A glowing blue light caught Roo’s eye and she gasped.

“The Tesseract! He’s using it to power this entire airship!” she hissed as they stepped into the room cautiously.

“We’re high up enough that we can see the curve of the Earth…it sure is beautiful up here.” Mags admired.

“That’s nice and all, but can you guys hurry up and kill Schmidt so we can get out of here before this thing explodes?” Ama asked irately over the radio.

The whine of a weapon charging caught their attention as Schmidt jumped out from behind a strut, taking aim at Steve, who deflected the shot easily with his shield. The hit blew a hole in the Valkyrie, sending snow spiralling into the control room.

“You don’t give up, do you?” the Red Skull sneered.

“Nope!” Steve replied bluntly, blocking more and more shots until he came face to face with Schmidt and began brawling.

Roo seized her chance, grasping the base of the pistol in the Nazi’s holster, freezing when he stopped and turned to face her.

“Err…this isn’t what it looks like?” she offered sheepishly, ducking under his punch and leaping back.

The leader of HYDRA reached for his gun, drawing it and pulling the trigger.

Nothing happened.

He glared at Roo, who laughed. “Tesseract energy. I can drain it, remember?” she said brightly.

Steve knocked Schmidt back, and the Nazi landed on the controls, accidentally forcing the Valkyrie into a steep dive.

“ _ **WHOA!**_ Hey, what’s going on in there, you guys?!” Ama yelped, attempting to follow the plane on its new course.

“MAGGIE! I can portal you over there, but you’re only gonna have a half second window to switch on the autopilot!” Roo warned, opening said portal and pushing her through it.

Mags grabbed the control panel, flicking the switch on and returning the Valkyrie to its normal flight pattern.

“That was _close_ …” Roo said weakly, picking herself up off the floor.

“You could have the power of the Gods! Yet you wear a flag on your chest and think you fight a battle of nations! I have seen the future, Captain, and there are no flags!” Schmidt ranted.

“Not in _**my**_ future!” Steve shot back, throwing his shield at Schmidt and knocking him into the Tesseract engine.

There was an odd rising whine as the case holding the cube slid out, and bizarre blue flame-like energy whirled in the air above them.

“What have you done?!” Schmidt bellowed, pulling the Tesseract free and holding it up. Another hand descended on it.

“I don’t think so.” Roo said smartly, eye glowing as the cube sent out tendrils of energy all around the ship.

An enormous portal opened above them, through which stars and nebulae billowed and sparkled.

“ _ **Auf Wiedersehen**_ , asshole.” She snarled, and Schmidt screamed as his body was stretched thin before being thrown through the portal in a flash of bright light.

A blue shockwave rocked the New York and Ama cried out. She shrieked even louder when Maggie and Eryn suddenly appeared in her cockpit, taking up every available inch of space between them.

“… _Ow_. Didn’t think that one through very well.” Roo mumbled.

“You think?!” Maggie snapped.

“No, that’s the _problem_. Wait a minute. Where’s Steve?” she asked.

“I’m on the Valkyrie! Where the hell did you guys go?” he demanded.

“We’re on the New York with Ama. Bit squished in here, though. Sorry…I had to let go of the Tesseract. That much energy…it was _killing_ me. It felt like it would’ve burned me to ashes if I hadn’t let go. But I think I fried all the electrics in the bomb-planes anyway, so we’re probably not getting out of this. I can’t teleport us back either…” she murmured.

“The Tesseract is here…or it was. It burned a hole in the plane and fell out. It’s somewhere in the ocean, now.” Steve informed them.

“Is it? That’s good…no one will find it there.” Eryn said, sighing with relief.

“We’re really not getting out of this one, are we?” Maggie said sadly.

“Look on the bright side – at least we’re going out together, and with one _**hell**_ of a bang! Besides…we’ll get to see Bucky soon.” Ama said softly.

“That’s right…hey, can anybody hear me? This is Captain Rogers.” Steve called over the radio.

“Steve? Is that you?” a familiar voice answered.

“Peggy! Schmidt’s dead!” he informed her.

“What about the plane?” she asked.

“Plane’s **fucked**.” Roo supplied helpfully.

“Eryn?! You’re there too?” Peggy asked hopefully.

“Right here, Peg. Though not for much longer, apparently. Listen…there’s nothing we can do. We’re going down, no matter what. Both the Valkyrie and the New York are fried, circuitry-wise. We’re a bit stuffed, really.” She said honestly.

“No, no that can’t be…there’s got to be something we can do. I’ll get Howard on the line, he’ll know, he can do _something!_ ” Peggy said fearfully.

“Not this time, doll. Hey. Can you put the guys on the phone? I want to talk to them, since this is probably our only chance to say goodbye. Can you do that for me, Peg?” Eryn asked shakily.

“Yes, I can. Hold on – you’re live, now.” Peggy said tearfully.

“Hey, guys. Listen, I…won’t be coming back with you. Truth is, _none_ of us will. God, I’m sorry. I’m so sorry. Really, I am. But it looks like this is it for us. I really enjoyed getting to know you all – I mean, you’re idiots, but you’re _ **our**_ idiots. The best damn bunch of morons the Allies ever saw, and I don’t say that lightly. I…need you to do something for me. Promise me you’ll look after each other. You’re all we have, so you gotta promise us you’ll take care of one another, all your lives. Phillips, look after Howard and Margaret for me, will ya? ‘Specially Howard, he’s the biggest idiot out of all y’all. I wanted you guys to know that we love you all. Don’t forget that, okay? Don’t forget. Falsworth, I’m sorry I called you Crumpets. I know how much you hate it. Dugan, you owe me three hundred dollars. Gabe, stay cool and drink less coffee. Remember our agreement. Dernier, I’m sorry I replaced some of your grenades with confetti bombs. Morita, I’m sorry I put mustard inside your shoes that one time. Steve, I’m sorry I was such a stubborn menace. Howie, Peg – I love you both. Don’t _**ever**_ forget that…” Roo said, voice fading as she lost consciousness.

“Damn. Looks like the pressure changes are doing a number on us. Oh God, I can see the ice. We’re going down…we’re going down, and we’re not coming back up. But don’t cry for us, okay? We’re going to go and see Bucky now. You guys’ll come visit too, right? But not for a _**long**_ time yet, eh? Not for a while yet…you guys have to stay alive, and live long, full lives, because we didn’t get to. You have to live, for our sakes. But wolves always stick together, so you’ll see me again someday. I promise. Cross my heart and hope to…well it’s a bit _late_ for that, I’m gonna die anyway.” Ama said with a resigned sigh.

“We **all** are. So when you get to Hell…make sure you tell the doorman you’re with me, ‘cause I’ll be sitting on the goddamn throne. Be seein’ ya, boys.” Maggie said with a rueful grin.

Amaryllis slumped forward suddenly as the radio cut out.

“Shit…the pressure change is screwing with the radios too. Steve…Steve? Are you there? _**Please**_ tell me you’re there.” Mags said fearfully.

“I’m here. I’m right here with you. I’m not going anywhere, I promise. Heard that little speech you guys gave back there…pretty rousing stuff.” Steve answered.

“Heh. Thanks. I just wish…I wish I’d spent more time telling everyone how much they mean to me. All of them, even Colonel Phillips. Steve?”

“Yeah?”

“I’m _**scared**_.”

“I am too. It’s okay to be scared sometimes. Doesn’t mean you’re weak.”

“Yeah…God, I hope it’s quick. I’m so scared…Steve, I’m so sorry. For everything.”

“What are you _talking_ about? You guys were the best thing that ever happened to me. I know Bucky felt the same. We’re gonna meet him soon. We’re gonna see him again, all four of us. Everyone’ll be together again one day. So there’s nothing for us to be afraid of.”

“You’re right. Mum, Dad…I’m going to see you very soon. Sorry…I know you wanted me to live a full life. Believe me, I wanted to as well. But sometimes there are things that are more important. This is one of them. I’m so afraid…so _**afraid**_. I’m so scared I can’t even breathe. I’m so scared.”

“So am I. But don’t worry…it’ll all be over soon. You’re not alone. Not ever. I promise you that. See you in a couple of seconds, I guess. Goodbye, Magnolia.”

“Goodbye, Steven. Peggy…I’m so, so sorry. You too, Howard. It was never meant to end like this, but maybe it’s better that it does. These powers we have…you were right, Stark. It’s something only Gods should have. Variant or not, our mere existence puts the world in a whole lot of danger. It’s better off this way, for the sake of everyone else. For better or for worse, Steven… **I love you.** ”

“I love you t-”

The transmission cut off abruptly as both the New York and the Valkyrie ploughed into the ice, sinking below the frozen wasteland as the caps shattered and dragged them under ten thousand leagues of blue-black water.

  


  


The silence in the control room was somehow louder than anything the remainder of the Howling Commandos had ever heard before. It was only broken when Peggy Carter, the immovable Agent with a heart of gold and a will of steel, began to cry, her body shaking with silent sobs.

  


Less than a month later, the news came through – The Nazis had fallen, their leaders dead or scattered to the four winds. The concentration camps had been liberated, the death camps exhumed and their vile rulers shot. But the Commandos found little solace in the news, their joy tinted with bitter memories of what they’d lost, of those who hadn’t made it to see the end. “To the Howlers.” Falsworth said sadly, raising his glass. The others did the same, draining their glasses, though there was neither mirth nor merriment in any of their eyes.

  


In the High Arctic, a ship ceaselessly combing the fathomless deep was interrupted by a discovery from one of its submersibles. “Sir.” A scientist called. Howard rushed over to the monitor, watching as a glittering blue cube was brought up from the depths.

“Take us to the next grid point.” He ordered.

“But there’s no trace of wreckage. And the energy signature stops here.” The scientist protested.

“Just keep looking.” He instructed, opening a handsome pocket watch to reveal a picture of a group of soldiers, some of them women, all smiling at the camera.

  


Back at the SSR base as the Reserve packed up for the final time, Peggy found something waiting for her on her desk.

“Somethin’ Foley-Quirke wanted me to give you in the event that she didn’t make it home.” Phillips said gruffly, indicating the envelope.

She recognised the hideous scrawl of her name immediately as Roo’s handwriting.

Hands shaking, she opened the envelope to find a note.

_To my best girl,_

_If you’re reading this, then I went and snuffed it like an idiot. Whoops._

_Try not to feel bad for me; it’s probably my own damn fault. I’m sorry I put you through this. But you understand why – I do what I do because I want to protect you, because I want to beat Hydra. I am your shield and your sword. And whether I’m alive or dead, I promise you I will be all the same._

_Even when I don’t come home, know that I’m watching over you. We all are. I can’t put into words how much I regret leaving you behind. You, Margaret Carter, are my world. You always were. I just wish I’d had more time to tell you how much you really mean to me. But then, I don’t think love is something you can put into words._

_You always knew how I felt. You stuck with me through it all, and for that I’m grateful. I couldn’t have asked for a better woman to share my life with, brief as it was._

_Try not to kill Howard in my absence. I know it’s hard because he’s an idiot who gets on everybody’s nerves, but he’s a good person on the inside. Just like you._

_Anyway, you have a life to live and I have an underworld to terrorise, so let bygones be bygones and don’t worry about me. I’m with my family now. Ama and Mags are probably here to, because we’re all dumb as hell._

_But I wouldn’t change it for the world._

_So go on living for all our sakes – I heard Gabe fancies you, so go for it! I promise I won’t get jealous and throw lightning at your house. Maybe._

_All my love always, I remain_

_Eternally Yours,  
Eryngo Carmel Foley-Quirke._


	21. Valkyrie, Rising

Ama’s eyes opened slowly, the room spinning for an uncomfortable moment before finally drawing into painfully sharp focus. The ceiling above her was stark white, save for the occasional flutter of net curtains in the draught from the open window.

She closed her eyes again, momentarily taking in the pleasant feeling of lying in a warm, soft bed while a cool breeze wafted over her.

“I feel like I could stay here _all year_.” she mumbled, her voice croaky and cracked even to her own ears.

“Director Fury wouldn’t be happy to hear that after all the trouble we went through to pull you out of the ice.” a soft voice replied.

Surprised, Ama sat up, regretting her decision when pain shot through her left arm in response.

Eyes watering, she looked up to appraise the woman sat in a chair at the end of her bed.

She was soft-featured, a pretty redhead with tresses of long ringlets reaching her waist. She sat in a neat manner that immediately gave her away as military personnel, an enigmatic smile on her face.

“I’m sorry, I’m afraid I don’t know you.” the medic said warily.

“You will. Should you decide to stay here, we’ll probably be working together. I’m Natasha. Natasha Romanoff.” the stranger replied amicably.

“Well, Miss…no, you’re probably an agent, aren’t you? Agent Romanoff, I don’t even know where _**here**_ is. Where are we?” she asked suspiciously.

“Relax. You’re in a military hospital in New York. You’ve been through a lot, you need to rest.” Romanoff soothed.

“A hospital? Really? That’s odd…” Ama murmured.

“Why? You don’t remember what happened?” Natasha asked, frowning.

“No, I remember that in _great_ detail. It’s just…this place. It’s not very well equipped for a hospital.” she mused, taking note when the agent tilted her head slightly.

“I mean, you have six plug sockets in this room alone. That’s not unusual for a recovery room, and neither is the electrical panel on the far wall. It’s natural in a hospital to have a lot of machinery that needs powering, but if that’s the case, why is the light the only powered cable in this room?” she continued, concern building when the corners of Romanoff’s mouth tightened almost imperceptibly.

“Seems you didn’t know this, but as a result of my powers, I’m able to trace energy signatures. Not only do none of the sockets have power, it appears they don’t even have cables, meaning that they and the electrical panel over there are all fakes! This isn’t a _recovery_ room – it’s a **panic** room designed to shut me in with you in the event that things went wrong! And if I’m here…the others must be too! You’ve got them hidden somewhere in this facility, in false cells just like this one! Where are they, Agent Romanoff? I won’t ask twice!” Ama said lowly.

The door opened and a man in a suit stepped in, handing her a clipboard bearing medical papers.

“I’m afraid it’s not that simple, Agent Faulkner. You got lucky – the only real injuries you suffered were a couple dozen breaks to your left arm. Agents Fairborn and Foley-Quirke…well, they weren’t so lucky. The impact gave your sister a severe skull fracture, as well as ejecting Agent Quirke from the vehicle entirely. She got caught in the plane’s prop and suffered _**massive**_ physical damage. Luckily, the New York crash-landed in the middle of the Litke Deep, right at the best time of year for iceberg formation. You basically landed in the early stages of an iceberg and ended up totally encased inside it. As a result…you were preserved exactly as you had been at the moment of the crash. When we dug you up, it was like you’d been sleeping.” he explained.

“Agent Faulkner, this is Agent Coulson. We work together. He _still_ doesn’t know how to introduce himself.” Romanoff said apologetically, shooting the intruder a rather cold glare that would’ve wilted a lesser man.

“The ice gave us time enough to fix up Agent Fairborn’s reopened stab wounds and repair the damage to her skull. She’s currently in a medically induced coma, but she’s responding well to treatment. We’re expecting her to be discharged by the end of the week. We’ve…done our best to piece Agent Quirke back together, but…even our technology has limits.” he explained gravely.

“Eryn? She’ll be fine. You’ve probably noticed it already, but her latent ability is regeneration. It’s not strong enough to regrow limbs or organs, but it does make her _**very**_ difficult to kill. As long as she hasn’t lost anything vital, she’ll be fine. And don’t call her Quirke, she hates it. Her name is Foley-Quirke.” the medic said with a frown, examining the medical notes and wincing at the enormous list of injuries on Roo’s paper.

“That’s, uh…that’s the thing. She **did** lose quite a lot of vital parts. We managed to replace them with artificial versions, but the technology is still in the early days. We’re concerned there might be complications.” he said honestly.

Ama raised an eyebrow. “Are you seriously telling me you just straight up took out the lung that got damaged in the crash and _replaced_ it with something else?” she asked disbelievingly.

“Not just one. Both lungs. We used stem cell injections at the removal site to ensure her body wouldn’t reject the new organs. We also used the same technique to fix the broken segments of Agent Fairborn’s skull back together.” he explained.

“What the hell’s a stem cell? And how are you _building_ organs?! What kind of facility is this where you even have access to this technology?! If you’re experimenting on my family-!” she began threateningly.

“No, no! It’s not that! Okay, yeah, some of the techniques we’re using are in the experimental stages, but most of these are tried and tested methods! Our technology’s come a long way in the time you’ve been sleeping!” he said hastily.

“Time…that’s right, you said you had to dig us out of an iceberg. That must’ve taken a while. Poor old Howard must’ve been worrying himself sick! How long were we under?” she asked, curiosity getting the better of her.

The two agents exchanged looks.

“Your friends are still under sedation. In Agent Fairborn’s case, to protect her brain while her injuries heal. In Agent Quir-uh, I mean, Agent Foley-Quirke’s case, to protect the team working on her. She’s out cold, but her brainwave activity is so strong that our tech can’t handle it. She’s already broken three EEG machines and the fourth keeps cutting out. We thought it was just a manifestation of her psionic abilities, but now we’re not so sure.” he elaborated.

“Ah, I see. Howard and I promised that if things went wrong, we’d burn all the files pertaining to Projekt Vernichtung…” she said thoughtfully.

“I’m sorry, what was that? If you know anything about this, we could really use your input.” Coulson appealed.

Ama sighed.

“No. I refuse. So far, all you’ve done is avoid my questions and attempt to distract me with less pressing matters. I have no reason to trust any of what you say. For all I know, _**you’re**_ the reason that Eryn and Mags are in this situation in the first place. Considering my position within the SSR, it makes sense that you’d wake me first and try to use me to gain access to Wrath, holding both Roo and Maggie’s safety over me as a threat. Whether that’s the case or not, you’re still idiots. You’re already aware that you’ve got something dangerous in your possession, but the only step you’ve taken to protect yourselves and the people around you is sedating the host.” she said wearily.

“Host? Does this have something to do with Scharfrichters?” Romanoff asked, eyes widening.

“What? They’re a myth that HYDRA came up with to make themselves _look_ scarier.” Coulson assured her.

“Did Colonel Phillips tell you that?” Ama asked, sighing again when they both stared at her, colour draining from their faces.

“What a mess. You’d better call whoever’s supposed to be keeping an eye on her and get them out of there.” she said exasperatedly.

“Why? I mean, she’s still sedated. It’s not like she can do anything, right?” Natasha said nervously.

“Oh, wow. You really don’t know _anything_ , do you? Scharfrichters and their hosts live in a cyclical manner. Imagine it like a see-saw; when one is awake, the other sleeps, and vice versa. You said before that your tech kept breaking around Eryn. Trust me when I say that her powers don’t extend to giving off electromagnetic interference. That’s something I’ve only ever seen in Scharfrichters.” the medic explained.

“What are you saying exactly?” Coulson asked worriedly.

“I’m saying you were **wrong**. Eryn might be sleeping, but Wrath’s been awake this entire time, waiting for the opportune moment to make her move. What better time than now, when one of her host’s allies has finally woken up?” Ama said seriously.

  


A loud bang made Alwich jump, hiding a snort behind her hand when Doctor Reide cursed.

“Fucking hell! Damn thing got me _again!_ That’s the **fourth** EEG she’s eaten through, and I’ve jumped at _every single one_ of them!” he huffed, hurriedly unplugging the machine from the wall and watching hopelessly as it smoked, spitting sparks at his feet.

“Somehow I don’t think they’re going to give us another one. These things are what, four thousand dollars apiece? I don’t believe SHIELD is interested in being twenty-K in the hole, no matter what Agent Coulson says.” Morley said with a shrug.

The radio crackled briefly, but all three of them ignored it. Intermittent static had quickly become part and parcel of dealing with the new patient.

“If we could find out what was _causing_ the interference, we could probably figure out a way to block it, but until then, we’re in the dark. Any tech we take into that room comes out fried! It’s a losing battle at this point!” Reide gruffed, wheeling the unfortunate machine out of Eryn’s room and throwing a reproachful glare back at the ugly metal helmet she wore for good measure.

The door swung shut behind him, just in time to miss the twitch of the fingers on her new prosthetic.

“No can do, Doc. I think this one’s a lost cause.” Alwich said unhappily, being careful to keep her fingers away from the sparks as she examined the screen.

“We’re lucky this thing didn’t blow out…” she muttered, trailing off when she noticed something through the observation window behind the machine.

“Ah, so we should thank our lucky stars we didn’t get blown across the room! How fortunate we are!” Reide said sardonically. The door to the observation room clicked open and his eyebrow twitched.

“DAMMIT MORLEY, I TOLD YOU TO STAY OUT OF-”

His words died in his throat when he saw their patient in the doorway, levitating herself about a foot off the ground. Alwich made a small noise of fear and the helmeted head swung round with unnatural speed to observe her.

“But…how? How is that possible? You’re under enough sedation to knock out a whale! How can you be awake?!” Reide asked weakly, regretting his words when the helmet turned slowly back to face him.

  


“Radios aren’t working. I can’t get hold of the care team.” Romanoff said urgently.

“Of course not. She’s not about to let them call for backup, or worse, let you call ahead and warn them. Radios would be the first thing she took out, followed by any security systems you have. I suggest you contact any forces you’ve got on call before this gets out of hand, although I wouldn’t advise shooting at her. It won’t end well, for your people at least.” Ama said simply.

Coulson’s earpiece buzzed. “I’m getting reports of gunfire down in the labs. Seems the security guard down there saw Wrath and tried to apprehend her. All the cameras are out and they’ve shut down the elevator. She’s trapped down there. Even for her, it’s too risky to teleport in a place she’s never seen before, right?” he explained.

“Yes, but that’s no guarantee she won’t do it! Besides, it’s only a matter of time before she fixes the elevator again anyway. Where does that lift stop?” the medic asked, swinging her legs out of the bed.

“Wait, what are you doing?! You’re still hurt!” Romanoff protested.

“And you guys are in way over your heads! You don’t even know what this thing is, and if you keep on going the way you are, a lot of innocent people are gonna end up dead. I’m coming with you! No arguments!” she said firmly, and the three of them ran out into the corridor. An alarm blared from somewhere.

“ **ATTENTION: THIS BUILDING IS CURRENTLY EXPERIENCING AN EMERGENCY LOCKDOWN. STRIKE UNITS, PROCEED TO MAIN ENTRYWAY IMMEDIATELY. ALL PERSONNEL, EVACUATE THE ENTRYWAY, REPEAT, EVACUATE THE ENTRYWAY. THIS IS NOT A DRILL.”**

Ama winced at the announcement. “Wow, loud. I’ve never seen a building like this before.” she muttered, barely taking in the scenery before they came to the security room. Inside, a team of agents had crowded around a panel covered in screens.

“Whoa. I don’t think I’ve ever seen this many film screens before. And they’re all so tiny! How does this work?” she asked curiously.

“No time for that now! The elevator just came back online and we can’t shut it down. She’s locked us out somehow.” another agent said with concern.

“Agent Sitwell, can we get the elevator camera working?” Romanoff suggested.

“I’ll do my best, but I can’t make any promises. For someone from the 1940s, she’s an _excellent_ hacker.” Sitwell muttered, fingers flying over the keys as he concentrated.

Two men in black tactical gear entered the room, expressions grim. “STRIKE units are in position, Coulson. Mind telling us what the hell’s going on?” the shorter one asked gruffly.

“We may have a Scharfrichter on the loose.” Romanoff said evasively.

“‘May have’ here having the meaning of ‘definitely do’. Don’t lie to them, they’re the ones going out there to stop Wrath, right?! If you don’t tell them what’s going on, they could die!” Ama said sharply.

“A Scharfrichter? For real?” his companion asked, surprised.

“Agent Faulkner, this is STRIKE Commander Brock Rumlow and his Second, Jack Rollins. They’re the top brass when it comes to our security.” Coulson said quickly.

“Don’t think now’s the time for introductions, Coulson. Sitwell, you owe me thirty bucks. I told you those things were real. Never thought I’d get the chance to face off against one.” Rumlow said with a grin.

“You put so much as a single scratch on Eryn and I’ll make sure you never walk again.” Ama threatened.

“Eryn? You _**named**_ it?” Rollins asked incredulously.

“ _She’s not an it!_ Scharfrichters might be weapons now, but they were people first! Eryn’s my **friend!** Wrath not so much, but as long as she’s not in her feral state, I can at least reason with her! If you idiots run in there shooting at her, you’re just going to get yourselves killed!” she scolded.

“Well, if you’re gonna talk her down, you’d better do it now.” Sitwell said shakily, indicating a particular screen. Wrath was in the elevator, four people floating alongside her as though suspended by invisible nooses.

“She’s heading up to the entryway right now. You said you know this thing, right? Can you stop it?” Rumlow asked seriously.

“I won’t know unless I try. I’ll talk to her, you just try to keep everybody back. Don’t intervene unless something goes seriously wrong! And keep at least twenty meters between you and her. That’s the limit of the reach of her arma. Beyond that she can still throw stuff at you, but she can’t grab you or rip you in half, so there’s that.” the medic explained quickly as she and the two STRIKE members sprinted down the stairs into the entryway.

“ **EVERYBODY FALL BACK!** I want at least a twenty meter radius between us and this thing at all times!” Rumlow barked, and at once the soldiers obeyed, several of them adjusting their grip on their weapons when the elevator began to shudder to life. At the innocent ping of the lift reaching their floor, all of them raised their guns.

The doors opened and Wrath floated out silently, followed by her arrangement of hostages, all wriggling feebly against their invisible bonds.

“Looks like she got the scientists and the security guard.” Rollins muttered.

“Remember, no closer than twenty metres.” Ama said lowly.

Wrath came to a halt suddenly, helmet tilting as she considered the arrangement of soldiers surrounding her.

“That’s far enough, Wrath. Do you remember me? My name’s Ama. I’m a friend of Eryn’s. A friend of yours, too. I need you to listen to me, okay?” the medic explained gently.

The Scharfrichter ignored her, instead levitating the security guard she’d captured in front of her upside down and swinging him in an arc reminiscent of a pendulum.

“No, don’t do that – you’ll hurt him. That’s bad, remember?” Ama said exasperatedly. Wrath gave an amused chitter, which deeply unsettled the STRIKE forces.

“Come on, don’t be so rude. These guys practically rebuilt you, and this is how you repay them?” the medic admonished.

The Scharfrichter gave a frightening hiss, indicating her right shoulder. Just below the joint was an obvious graze – a wound from a bullet that hadn’t quite missed.

“Okay, he hurt you first. That’s bad, but that doesn’t mean you get to kill him for it. Or the rest of those people. They’re innocents.” she soothed.

Reluctantly, Wrath stopped swinging her hostage, humming to herself slightly as if mulling something over. The security guard grunted, reaching for his gun again.

“No, WAIT! **DON’T DO THAT!** ” Ama shouted, but too late.

Wrath didn’t even bother to look at him, levitating him high in the air before letting him drop against the polished floor with a sickening smack, spraying blood over herself and the marble.

One of the soldiers opened fire and she simply levitated one of the scientists in front of her, ignoring his screams as the bullets tore into him.

“HOLD YOUR FIRE, DAMMIT!” Ama yelled, and the soldier relented.

Bored, Wrath threw her human shield away carelessly, standing her ground and giving an inhuman roar that reverberated in their chests. Rollins unfolded a sniper rifle from the holster on his back.

“No, no more guns! Weapons will only escalate things.” she said quickly.

“Then what the hell are we supposed to use, harsh language?!” he hissed back.

“Sorry Red, but we don’t take orders from you.” Rumlow agreed.

“You will if you want to get out of this alive! You’ve already gotten two people killed doing things your way! Do you really wanna make it a third?” she snapped.

“Does she have any weak spots?” Rollins asked.

“Yes, at the base of her neck. The helmet doesn’t extend that far as a precautionary measure, making it easier to take the Scharfrichter out in an emergency. She can’t defend herself from an attack she doesn’t see coming, just like every other animal. But for that, you’d have to get behind her.” the medic said unhappily.

Wrath shook her head violently, as if trying to dislodge a fly, and let out an irate shriek. Something hit her helmet with a loud ping, and she gave a squawk of surprise. All of them looked up to see a pale and shaky Mags stood on the level above, her arms full of paperweights and glass tumblers. She held another glass aloft.

“Shut the fuck up! I wake up with the _mother of all headaches_ just to find you out here causing a scene and screaming! Fuck _**off!**_ ” she snarled, throwing the glass. It shattered in mid-air as if struck by something.

Unperturbed by this, Mags leapt down, landing neatly on the ground floor and rolling her shoulders.

“Alright then. If you wanna do this the hard way, that’s fine by me! I’m not afraid of you, so square up! Let’s go a few rounds, see which of us is stronger.” she said casually.

Wrath hissed furiously, and to their surprise, Maggie hissed back. “What? You really think I’m scared of you, don’tcha? Don’t know me very well, then!” she quipped, grinning when the Scharfrichter snarled at her.

“So? I’m open. You gonna come at me or what?” she offered fearlessly.

To everyone’s shock, Wrath backed off slightly.

Rumlow’s eyebrows shot up.

“Not used to someone facing up to her, is she?” he asked, impressed.

“It’s never happened before. People have always either tried to run away or attack her from a distance. Somebody threatening to beat her up…that’s new.” Ama said with a grin. Her grin faded suddenly when she felt something on her shoulder.

“What was-” her words failed her when Rollins was violently dragged forwards, skidding across the floor painfully as he was pulled along by something they couldn’t see.

“BACK! GET BACK! _**TWENTY METRES ISN’T ENOUGH!**_ ” Rumlow ordered, and the soldiers began to retreat, a hail of invisible blows cracking the ground behind them as they fled. At a certain point, the attacks stopped.

“Twenty seven metres.” Brock said blankly.

“Oh god. It was twenty. Twenty was the minimum safe distance, I swear!” Ama said shakily.

“I believe you. You don’t strike me as the kind of dumbass who’d stand directly in the firing line just to make a point. Seems your calculations are a little off.” he said calmly.

“I thought it was odd. Her reach extended steadily for the first few months we were observing her, and then stopped suddenly after hitting twenty metres. For the next three years, it didn’t increase at all. She hid it deliberately just to take us by surprise some day.” Ama murmured, stunned.

“Your pal in there is a strategist, right? Worst kinda mind to stick to a Scharfrichter. Jack’s a big boy – he can get himself out of this.” Rumlow said faithfully, watching with concern as Wrath hoisted her new trophy up next to the other ones.

“Oh, come on! Now you’re just being a dick! I mean, I know that other dude shot you, but what the hell did these guys do to piss you off?! Quit being such an asshole!” Mags complained, quickly stepping to the side in time to avoid a vicious attack that left a hand-shaped crater in the marble.

“Missed! You’re too slow! Maybe you’re too quick for these guys, but a Valkyrie’s a different story! Speaking of, gimme my friend back! Eryn will be pissed when she finds out what you’ve done!” she warned, dodging another attack deftly without dropping her improvised weapons.

Annoyed, Wrath swung Rollins violently, suspending him by his throat and raining blows on his body.

He didn’t even cry out, gritting his teeth and simply ignoring it when blood filled his mouth.

“HEY! Stop that! You’re gonna _**kill**_ him!” Maggie shouted, dodging a multitude of invisible attacks and advancing towards her.

Furious, Wrath seized Rollins, knotting a fist in his shirt and dragging him closer.

Her helmet parted, hinging open like a jaw and revealing the teeth on her helmet to be interlocking blades. She hoisted him up, lunging for his face.

“ **STOP!”**

The Scharfrichter froze, body trembling with the effort of trying to pull herself free and clamp down on Rollins’ head.

“I told you…we don’t do that anymore! How many times do I have to repeat myself before you _listen_ to me?!” Eryn lamented.

“She’s waking up! All the action sped up her metabolism! It’s making the sedatives wear off faster! Clever, Maggie!” Ama praised, grinning when Mags turned around to give her a thumbs-up.

“Killing people was bad enough, but now you want to fight my friends, too?! Not only that, you dragged this poor sod over here to use as both bait and a punching bag! Give me back my body, Wrath! You and I will discuss this later!” Roo said furiously, her body relaxing as Wrath’s grip faded into guilty silence.

“ _ **YOU IDIOT!**_ You scared us for a minute! I thought Mags might actually have to fight you!” Ama scolded.

“Can someone explain to me exactly what the hell is going on?! Last thing I remember is being trapped in a plane-copter about to hit the ice in the Arctic, next thing I know I’m standing here about to bite some guy’s head off! Oh yeah, might need some medics. I think I broke at least three of his ribs. Sorry ‘bout that.” Eryn said guiltily, releasing the hostages carefully.

Alwich immediately ran over to Reide, putting pressure on the bullet wound in his chest. “He’s still alive! I need medevac here stat!” she called.

“Hey, whaddya know. Looks like he is gonna survive after all.” Rollins grunted, wincing at the severe pain in his side.

“Luckily, so’re you. I was about nought-point-three seconds away from snapping your face off. If it wasn’t for Mags wearing down the drugs, you’d be missing the front of your skull.” Roo muttered, closing the helmet back up carefully and taking it off.

Strands of blue caught the corner of her eye and she frowned.

“I leave for _**four hours**_ and this is what happens?” an authoritative voice called from the stairwell. Everyone except the medics froze on the spot.

“Director Fury, I can explain!” Coulson called from the top of the stairs, jogging down to meet him.

“No need, I saw everything. Agents Fairborn, Faulkner, Foley-Quirke; welcome back to the land of the living. I’d like to see you in my office.” Fury said sternly, turning on his heel and heading back up the way he came. The ringing silence he left was somehow louder than Wrath had ever been.

“Land of the living. Is that what this place is?” Roo asked dazedly.

“I don’t believe this! We haven’t been awake for one day and we’re already getting dragged to the boss’ office! You two are are the worst!” Ama said irritably.

“ **ME?!** What did I do?!” Mags squawked indignantly.

“Never mind. I suppose we’d better follow him.” the medic said glumly, instantly regretting her choice of wording when Maggie seized the other Valkyries by the backs of their shirts, taking flight at top speed and sweeping them down the corridor.


	22. Strategic Homeland Intervention Enforcement Logistics Division.

The door to Fury’s office burst open and Maggie zoomed in, dumping Ama and Roo on a seat each before landing neatly on one herself, looking to the director expectantly.

He merely raised an eyebrow.

“You’re the man in charge of this rabble?” Ama asked, looking rather windswept.

“Yes I am. Nicholas J. Fury, third Director of SHIELD.” he explained.

“What’s SHIELD? You keep mentioning it, but I’ve never heard of it before.” she said suspiciously.

“It’s an acronym. Stands for ‘Strategic Homeland Intervention Enforcement Logistics Division’. It was born out of the Strategic Scientific Reserve, a direct descendant founded in the wake of the victory against HYDRA. You knew the three founders. From what I understand, Howard Stark and the previous Directors Carter and Phillips were personal friends of yours.” Fury explained.

“Wow. This moron’s never gonna remember that.” Maggie muttered under her breath, raising an eyebrow at Roo.

“Directors? Peggy was a director?” Eryn asked, impressed.

“She was a lot of things, including my mentor. She trained me a long time ago. It was a privilege to be her student.” he said shortly.

“Where is Peggy now? I want to see her. She’s gonna be mad as hell when sees what Wrath did, but she sounded so upset just before we hit the ice. I have to at least let her know I’m okay.” she said anxiously.

Fury sighed. “It’s not gonna be that easy. There’s no simple way of telling you this, but you’ve been asleep. For a very, very long time.” he began carefully.

“How long? A year? Five years? A decade?” Mags asked, frown deepening with the extension of his silence.

He took a deep breath to steel himself before answering.

“Take that last one. Times it by seven.” he said softly.

There was a long, uncomfortably dead silence as the reality of his words began to sink in. Maggie’s jaw dropped.

“You cannot be serious.” she said hoarsely.

“I’m afraid I am, Agent Fairborn. Unfortunately, there was no easy way of telling you. It’s not exactly a situation where I can let you down gently. After all this time, we were just as surprised as you were to find you exactly as you had been all those years ago. It never even crossed our minds that you might actually still be alive. Wasn’t until you were warmed up for autopsy prep that your hearts started beating again. Even after that, we only noticed because you started _**bleeding**_ _._ Would’ve been a hell of a way to wake up if the first thing you knew was someone cutting you open. SHIELD owes you a debt. Hell, the whole world owes you a damn debt! If it wasn’t for the actions of the SSR that day, HYDRA would’ve won. Because of you, they lost everything and vanished. We figured the least we could do is give you a second chance.” the Director elaborated.

“Seventy years. Everyone we knew is either dead or _really fuckin’ old._ ” Eryn said hollowly.

“I know this can’t be easy to hear. It was a gamble trying to bring you back, one that’s only cost me a security guard so far. I don’t blame you for that. I mean, Wrath woke up somewhere unfamiliar with a body that’s trashed, it’s hardly surprising she went on a little rampage.” Fury said apologetically.

“Trashed? Is that why I can’t feel my arm or legs?” Roo asked, frowning.

“That other man…Agent Coulson, was it? He said you’d been ejected from the plane when it hit the ice. You went for a spin in the propeller and got ripped to pieces. They managed to put you back together again as best they could, but even they couldn’t fix everything.” Ama began gently, watching as Eryn quickly began to unravel the bandages on her left arm.

Underneath was a beautiful white prosthetic with silver ball joints at the elbow and shoulder and black rubber casing on the digit and wrist segmentation.

“What…” Roo trailed off blankly, clearly struggling to process what was going on.

The door opened and Coulson stepped in, handing her a set of papers.

“Carbon fibre polymer, capable of taking ten tons of pressure per square inch. It’s also carrying a mini EMP generator that can be fired from the back of the hand, and has both Wi-Fi and hack tools hidden in the tips of the fingers. The legs are made out of the same material and are capable of switching between digitigrade and plantigrade forms of movement based on your preference. We don’t currently possess the technology to make them sensate, but somehow I get the feeling that doesn’t bother you.” he explained.

“And I get the feeling you like making an entrance.” Ama quipped, grinning when he smiled.

“Something like that. I am slightly concerned that the eye doesn’t seem to be working. Should I call Stark?” he asked the Director.

“No. The last thing these three need is to see that moron right now. He’ll ask all the wrong questions. It’s only been knocked offline because of the Scharfrichter, it may well start working again on it’s own. Besides, I think everybody’s had enough trouble today as it is without bringing that thing back again.” Fury replied.

“So you knew about the Scharfrichters?” Mags pressed, annoyed.

“I knew there was a possibility they were real. That was enough for me. We took precautions.” he said curtly.

“Not well enough. Somebody _**died**_ because you failed to take this seriously, and two more are in the medical ward! How are we supposed to trust you with our safety if you can’t even be trusted with that of your agents?” Ama asked coldly.

“You can’t. You’re not supposed to trust anybody. That’s what part of being an agent is all about. I’m not asking you to trust me or anyone else here. I’m simply asking you to hear me out just this once. If you don’t like what I have to say, by all means, walk away. We’re not going to stop you. You’re not prisoners or slaves.” Fury said simply.

“Nobody who supposedly witnessed the Scharfrichters in action would tell us anything, including the previous Directors. We spent years trying to get in contact with Subject Seven to try and confirm or deny the existence of Scharfrichters, but it turns out he’s a very hard man to find.” Coulson added.

“Firstly, he’s not a man and I think he’d resent the comparison. Second, if you can’t find him, that’s a good thing! It means he doesn’t want to be found and you should leave him alone! If you continue to pursue him, he’s going to get upset and then you’re in real trouble. Seven doesn’t owe any of you a goddamn thing, don’t just assume you can call on him at your leisure! He’s an Originator, not a dog!” Roo admonished.

“Jeez, he must be about a billion years old by now.” Maggie muttered.

“Originators don’t work that way. At any rate, it’s best you leave him be. He hates humans enough as it is – don’t go making things worse just because you’re curious! When it comes to Scharfrichters, Ama’s the expert. You don’t need his help and you wouldn’t get it anyway, so I suggest you drop the subject.” Eryn said sharply.

“You make him sound pretty cold.” Fury pointed out.

“Speaking of cold, you mentioned finding us…but I’ve noticed you’ve been oddly quiet about the location of Captain Rogers. Why is that?” Mags asked seriously.

“Because they haven’t found him. If they had, they’d be crowing about it for sure, and it probably would’ve been the first place they took any of us. Am I wrong?” Ama asked aloofly.

“…No. The shape of the Valkyrie meant it skidded along the water’s surface momentarily before sinking, like a flat stone over a pond. It was only a mile or two, but thousands of icebergs have formed, fallen apart and reformed in that area over the past seventy years. The sheer size of the Valkyrie means it likely got caught up in the deep ocean currents surrounding that area and was moved a significant distance from the original crash site. We’re still looking, but…I don’t see any reason to lie to you. Unless we get a breakthrough in current computer modelling technology or an iceberg rises to the surface with the Valkyrie in it, the chances of us even finding part of it is slim.” the Director said quietly.

“Not to rub salt in the wound, but the three of you were extremely lucky to have been preserved as well as you were. There’s…there’s no guarantee the same will have happened to Captain Rogers.” Coulson admitted sadly.

Roo stood up unsteadily, seizing the agent by the front of his shirt.

“WHAT THE FUCK IS YOUR DAMAGE?! Can’t you see she’s already upset?! Why’d you have to go and say something like that?!” she yelled.

“I’m just telling the truth!” he protested.

“WHY?! What purpose does that serve?! You’ve already dumped a load of horrible realisations on us today; you couldn’t let us have a little ray of hope for the future?! JUST ONE?!” she snarled.

“Roo. That’s enough.” Mags said reproachfully. The cyborg relented, letting Coulson go.

“Fighting now isn’t going to solve anything. Besides…we all knew this might happen. This was the risk we all took back then. This was our choice. So it’s alright.” Maggie soothed, holding the pendant of her necklace in the palm of a shaking hand.

Eryn balled her fists, the prosthetic fingers clicking slightly.

“No, it’s not.” she said tremulously. The others stared at her.

“HOW COULD IT BE ALRIGHT?! How is any of this alright?! WE WON! We beat Schmidt, we beat HYDRA! We outlived them all! And now we wake up in the future and we’re just supposed to accept that?! No! No way! Everyone and everything we ever cared about was back the way we came, and we’re supposed to shrug it off and move on?! Dying is one thing, but this?! What the hell is this shit?! What point is there to bringing us back now, when everything we worked so hard to protect is gone?!” she shouted.

“It was believed to be a decision taken in the best interests-” Fury began but Ama cut him off.

“Of who, exactly? You? It wasn’t for us, that’s for damn sure! Eryn is right. If you hadn’t at the very least found Captain Rogers, you should’ve left us in the ice.” she asked, eyes shining.

“This is clearly upsetting all of you. Maybe it’d be better to discuss it another time.” Coulson offered.

“NO! We discuss it now! I want to know! Why did you bring us back?!” Roo demanded tearfully.

  


“Because they needed you.”

  


The voice startled all of them, and the Valkyries turned slowly to see a familiar figure standing at the back of the room.

“Tokori?” Eryn said weakly, wiping her eyes quickly.

“Yes. It’s been a long time. I always hoped the three of you would return, but after a while, I had come to accept your deaths as honourable sacrifices for the greater good. When I felt your LIF signatures re-emerge, I didn’t believe it. I had to come and see for myself if it was true. And here you stand, clear as day. Very much alive. I honestly don’t know what to say.” he said softly, reaching out to touch the back of Roo’s prosthetic hand as though he didn’t quite believe she was real.

“Announcing yourself before you gave us all heart attacks might’ve been nice.” Mags groused.

“We gave you up for dead. With so few resources, we had to dedicate what little we had to helping the living rather than dredging up the dead. If we’d known you were still alive…” he trailed off, shaking his head.

“You still would’ve made the same choice, because it was the right decision. A hundred dead Variants isn’t worth the life of a single live one. You know that better than anyone. If you’re gonna blame someone, blame us. We’re the ones who got on the damn plane.” Roo said supportively.

“Better yet, blame HYDRA. They’re the reason we’re all in this mess anyway. It’s just been one awful thing after another.” Ama said wearily, idly playing with the dog tags around her neck.

“You lost Barnes. I know what happened, I read the reports. It wasn’t your fault. There was nothing you could’ve done.” Coulson assured her.

“We didn’t lose him – HYDRA took him! There’s a difference.” she said furiously.

“Seven, you said they brought us back because they needed us. What did you mean by that?” Mags asked dubiously.

“Isn’t it obvious? The three of you and Captain Rogers weren’t the only things that landed in the ocean that day.” the Originator said darkly.

Roo gasped and slapped her forehead. “Of course! The Tesseract! They must’ve dug it out of the ice ages ago!” she exclaimed.

“Shortly after you were buried, actually. They wanted to find the Valkyrie capable of wielding it’s incredible power…but they didn’t know which one it was. So they had no choice but to reanimate the three of you in a time completely outside your own. A stupid, short-sighted plan.” he said irritably.

“We wouldn’t have had this problem if you’d just told us what we needed to know.” Fury said coolly.

“I don’t answer to you, or indeed any human. I am not yours to summon and dismiss at whim, I am the Originator of Thanatos Hive!” Seven retorted.

“Oh, you have your own hive now?! Neat! So you must have found Acharoa, then!” Eryn said eagerly.

“Of course I did! We’re not all as directionally challenged as you!” he spat.

“He got mad at me…” the cyborg mumbled, surprised.

“Can you really blame him? We just fell out of existence for seventy years and then come waltzing back into his life with no warning whatsoever. That’s gotta sting.” Ama reasoned.

“You idiot! I thought you were long gone! I thought I was alone all over again! Then you just come back from the dead acting as though it never happened, not looking so much as a day older than you did back then! If it wasn’t for the hair and the prosthetics, you wouldn’t look any different!” he said tremulously.

“Huh? Hair? AHHH, IT’S BLUE!” Roo shrieked on noticing her reflection in the glass panels of Fury’s office.

“She’s a little slow some days, huh?” Coulson quipped.

“Give her a break! We’ve just woken up from a seventy year nap, let us breathe! Jesus!” Maggie growled.

“I need things to stop happening for a little while.” Eryn said tiredly.

“I know how you feel. This is…it’s an incredible amount to take in even if you split it up. We got it all at once.” Ama commiserated.

“We felt it best to do it this way. It’ll give you a better chance at recovery than hitting you with something new and horrible every day.” Coulson explained.

“The three of you have some decisions to make. You’ve heard out the explanations from SHIELD. What happens next is up to you. Going back to your old lives is no longer an option, and choosing death just after you’ve been given a second chance at life seems ungrateful and foolish at best. So what will you do?” Seven asked, head tilting curiously.

“Well, I want to help out the Variants as much as I can…but you also said these people have my Tesseract. As the Valkyrie bonded to it, I don’t feel like I could just leave when I should be keeping my eye on it. Plus this place…it’s like what we were before, right? On the cutting edge of things. If there’s anywhere we can catch up on seventy years of missed history, it’s here.” Roo said with a shrug.

“Not to mention this organisation is the direct descendant of the SSR. My medical knowledge is now severely out of date, at the very least it’s not safe for me to go into practice elsewhere until I learn more modern techniques. We know next to nothing of this modern world. It may actually be more dangerous for us to leave than if we stay.” Ama agreed.

“I…have a very limited skill set when it comes to the real world. I’ve been an agent since I was thirteen and just never stopped. I honestly don’t know if there’s a way for me to adjust to life outside that sort of system. And besides…if anyone’s gonna find Steve, it’ll be these guys. I’m not going anywhere without him. It sounds like we’re all in agreement, so if you’ll have us…we’re here.” Mags said with a slight smile.

“A wise decision. I’ll drop in some resources for you later to help you understand how things work in the modern era, but for now, I shall take my leave. Oh, and Director? If anything should happen to any of these three, I will annihilate your organisation and burn every SHIELD installation to the ground.” Seven threatened, before vanishing in front of their eyes.

“Nice guy.” Coulson said sarcastically.

“Shut the fuck up, Mr Agent. You don’t know the half of what he’s been through. So you’re our boss now?” Roo asked, wincing at the sudden intrusion of sight in her missing eye when she looked at Fury.

“Apparently so. Glad to have you all on board. You ready to get to work?” Fury asked calmly.

“Would be a genuine pleasure. We have a lot of homework to do in the meanwhile, though.” Mags said unhappily.

“And I have to find out what the hell is up with these things. I have no idea what I’m doing.” Eryn said honestly, blinking her eyes in turn and shaking her head.

“So you’re staying?” Coulson asked, smiling.

“Well, unless your team of science nerds manages to finagle their way to a time machine that can send us back to 1945, we’re kinda stuck here. So yeah, we’re staying.” Ama pointed out.

“Quirke, you’re a scientist. I’ve got some guys in the lab who’re gonna be thrilled to meet you. Faulkner, the medical team will help you out with any questions you have about modern procedures. And Fairborn…get training. If the reports about you are to be believed, SHIELD just inherited one of the greatest soldiers of all time.” Fury said with a warm smile.

The three Valkyries saluted in unison.

“YES, SIR!”


End file.
